<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>John,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The damper levers are indeed plastic in = this piano. Many notes actually play without the backchecks, but the ringing dampers = make it unusable.  How unfortunate that the decision was made to use = plastic in the manufacture of this piano at that time!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ray</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<BR>Ray = T. Bentley, RPT<BR>Registered Piano Tuner-Technician<BR>Alton, IL<BR><A href="mailto:ray@bentley.net">ray@bentley.net</A><BR><A href="http://www.ray.bentley.net">www.ray.bentley.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca = href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">John Ross</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 17, 2003 = 9:17 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Jesse French = Plastic</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Hi Ray,</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I resurrected a Heintzman, with the = same problem, the action had been manufactured in the U.S., in the 50's.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I got the parts from Schaff, and they = went on with no problem that I can remember,</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I don't believe the damper levers were = plastic, just the flanges,  backchecks and jacks.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Replacing all the plastic parts, is = the only way to go.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Regards,</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV>John M. Ross<BR>Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR><A = href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca</A></DIV>= <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=ray@bentley.net href="mailto:ray@bentley.net">Ray T. = Bentley</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 17, 2003 = 10:40 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Jesse French = Plastic</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yesterday, I had to disappoint a 90 = plus year old lady by telling her that her piano is unusable (no use to tune it) at this time because of plastic parts failure in her Jesse = French piano.  It's probably a large console with a case designed like = a studio with the entire top lifting up much like many Baldwin Hamiltons.  It appears to be from the early 50's, though Pierce = doesn't give any dates for it.  Over 30 back checks are completely gone = with a half dozen or so having been replaced with wood at some time in the past.  At present there are another six or eight damper levers (plastic, too) that are broken.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The question:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Are parts available to fit = this action to repair it?  I told her that it would probably take a commitment = of several hundred dollars to replace all of the plastic, even if = suitable wooden replacements are available.  She and I both feel that = given the age of both the piano and the client, that repairs are probably not economically feasible.  I feel that repairing only those that = are broken at this time will not produce long lasting satisfaction, as = other parts will no doubt continue to break in the future.  Any = thoughts or suggestions?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks to all.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ray</DIV> <DIV><BR>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<BR>Ray T. Bentley, = RPT<BR>Registered Piano Tuner-Technician<BR>Alton, IL<BR><A href="mailto:ray@bentley.net">ray@bentley.net</A><BR><A = href="http://www.ray.bentley.net">www.ray.bentley.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>