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<DIV>I have run across this problem a number of times. As soon as I see
that a pedal appears to have become overadjusted, I check the pelican
spring to see if it is cracking at the circular bend. Even if I don't see
a crack, I automatically replace the spring because it will only get worse again
if you readjust it. Eventually it will break clear through and the
trapwork will fall to the floor of the piano. The springs are cheap,
they're easy to replace and then the problem is gone. Don't even bother to
readjust because you'll just be coming back in a few weeks to do it all over
again.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=PIANOTECHNICIAN@aol.com
href="mailto:PIANOTECHNICIAN@aol.com">PIANOTECHNICIAN@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 25, 2007 7:28
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> A once-in-a
lifetime-problem</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>I have a customer with a beautiful Sohmer console from the 1960's, a
model 34-96 I believe. He complained </DIV>
<DIV>of an echo. When I got there I loosened the nut on
the damper pedal and it went away.</DIV>
<DIV>A few weeks later, he called me with the same problem. I was baffled.
What could possibly be causing</DIV>
<DIV>the lost motion to DECREASE in a pedal? It's always the other way around.
When I inspected the trap work closely, I found the answer. The heavy spring
on which the trap lever pivots, shaped like a Sigma, that connects the
trap lever to the piano's floor was slowly breaking from metal fatigue! And as
it was coming apart, the top part of the spring was coming up from the bottom
part of the spring, thus pushing the pedal rod up, and lifting the dampers off
the strings! Has anybody out there ever seen this problem?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jesse Gitnik</DIV>
<DIV>NYC</DIV>
<DIV>In business since 1980</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>