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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Everyone!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The victim: a cruel, crude spinet =
in a
church</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The problem: those little metal =
forks at the
end of each key</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is one of those thankless little =
spinets that
has had a lot of maintenance work performed in the last few months after =
years
of basic neglect. (The church isn't ready to get rid of it =
yet.) At
one point before all this work, all of the keys "worked" in that if you =
hit them
plenty hard, a note will sound accompanied by a chorus of clattering =
loose
parts, and it will return to rest position to await the next blow. =
What
was happening was that all of the action screws were so loose that =
everything
was allowed to flop where it will. Furthermore, all of the keys =
were
plenty sloppy with worn bushings and enlarged balance =
holes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First order of business -- tighten all =
those flange
screws. Do a rudimentary (very low-budget) regulation to =
improve the
response. But guess what -- the keys don't line up too well with =
the
sticker wires with the little square rubber grommets in the middle =
section of
the piano. They want to lean to the right with enough force to =
cause
binding at what is left of the bushings on one side. =
Disconnect the
wire and the key and the corresponding action parts regain their sloppy
characteristics.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Found that I could greatly reduce =
the binding
problem by very slightly tilting the fork with a pair of pliers so the
corresponding key is not so prone to leaning. Some of the little =
forks
offered plenty of resistance to being tilted. Others felt like =
they were
getting ready to break. They are just little pieces of stamped =
metal that
appear to have been inserted on the vertical, then twisted most of the =
way but
not quite enough to horizontal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the event that one of those little =
forks does
break ...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Are replacement forks available from =
any of the
supply houses?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Does anyone have a cute trick for =
extracting the
pieces out of the end of a key without doing too much damage to the
key?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Does anyone have any ideas ... oh =
stupid me, I
should have thought of bending the sticker wires with the damper wire =
pliers ...
unless someone has a better idea on how to correct this situation =
very
efficiently.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(No, I am not looking for ways to =
efficiently
implode this spinet to make it easier to haul away.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for your ideas =
--</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Z! Reinhardt RPT<BR>Ann =
Arbor MI<BR><A
href="mailto:diskladame@provide.net">diskladame@provide.net</A></FONT><=
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