[pianotech] Plastic Flange Replacement

[Chuck Behm]

>Or am I missing some quick & efficient way to use the original damper felt
successfully and not spend a day bending damper wires? - Terry Farrell

Terry - Whatever you do, don't bust the remaining damper flanges before you
begin to work. The bend on the damper wire levers that are remaining are
essential if you don't want to spend waaay too much time on this project in
the customers home.

Take the action to your shop, remove all the broken flange / lever
assemblies and start from there. The new damper levers will come out of the
box with wires that are straight and too long.

Make a simple jig by clamping a short length of 1" X 4" in your vise. Drill
2 holes for flange screws so that you can screw down an old damper lever
and a new damper lever side by side.

Now, remove an existing damper lever that has missing lever / levers to one
side. Screw the damper lever down to the jig, with a new lever on the side
away from the slant. Bend the new wire to match the old wire, making sure
your are matching the slant both viewed from the front and from the side.
Cut the length by running a ruler from the top of the old wire to the top
of the new wire, and snip.

For sections of levers that are missing, look at the existing levers on
either side of the missing section to see if there is a difference in the
bend of the wires - there probably will be. If so, try gradually change the
bend of the new wires to match the bend from the existing wire on the right
side of the missing section to the existing wire on the left hand side of
the missing section. Easier said than done, but worth spending the extra
effort required.

As Wim said, use new dampers as well. No point of messing with the old
ones. Get the type that come pre-backed and graduated for the treble. For
the bass, you'll need new damper blocks and a set of felts, or use the old
blocks if you want.

This process will get you close to a good fit, but you can expect to do
some fine adjustment when you return the action to the piano.

If you would like some photos, contact me privately and I'll send some.
Best of luck.  Chuck Behm
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