Regulation cheating

[David Andersen]

On Jun 27, 2007, at 10:32 AM, A440A at aol.com wrote:
>        Triage.  First and biggest thing, (assuming all the flange  
> screws are
> tight), is lost motion.  After deciding on a blow distance, bring  
> lost motion
> down to the minimum.  You may be surprised to find there is  
> aftertouch in
> there, after all, and the back checking is much improved without  
> any time spent on
> it.
>         After than, you can decide whether there is time(budget)  
> enough to
> either set let-off or dip.  Ideally you could do both.
>     If you haven't broken their bank, by now, cast your eyes upon the
> hammers.  You can remove most of the dead felt on either side of  
> the strikepoint
> without altering the actual hammer length, and a quick pass of a  
> hot iron on a
> thin strip of damp flannel will take a lot of the snarl out of  
> those hammers.
>
> Ed Foote RPT

Fantastic advice, Ed.  Listen up, Michelle.

The only thing I would add is that there is one protocol that seems  
to, in a triage situation, produce more good benefits than any other  
single thing I can do to an upright piano---raising the key height.  
In an old piano there is no doubt that the felt balance rail  
punchings have compressed, and in extreme environments, the balance  
rail shims and the balance rail itself have lost mass and size.  
Raising the key height, and quick-leveling the keys---dead easy on an  
upright---cause almost miraculous positive changes in the piano action.

You'll have to ask the spatial intelligence wizards, such as Mr.  
Foote, or Mr. Erwin, or our English brother Mr. Delacour, to walk you  
through what exactly happens when the key height is brought back  
somewhere close to its original height. Its effect, which I've  
witnessed thousands  of times, speaks for itself.

Battlefield Triage Upright Piano Magic

****I do two test keys, usually middle C and the C# next to it. I try  
one blue punching under the felt balance rail punching and that works  
90% of the time, especially in your triage situation, and I go  
through all the steps below.***
If you have more time and money to operate with, naturally the  
protocols become more complex and thorough, and beyond the scope of  
triage.

1. Remove the keys
2. "Vacuum w/ paintbrush" cleaning (don't suck up the punchings,  
newbies. DAMHIK.)
3. Put a blue punching under each felt balance rail punching.
4. Replace the keys.
5. Check let-off---it got closer; make sure no hammers block.
6. Check lost motion---if you have a little more time, you can shim  
the rest rail up and have a "correct" blow distance; then you'll for  
sure have to regulate 88 notes for blow, but the action will work  
better.
7. Regulate backchecks---it'll check back a lot closer with the  
raised key height...just even 'em out. Again test a couple notes in  
the middle of the piano to feel what backcheck distance feels best  
when the note is played; there's definitely a checking "sweet spot"  
on pianos.
This will take between 1 and 2 hours, and will make a radical  
positive change in the touch of the piano.

Best,
David Andersen



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