fascinated by the world of piano technique, I am tempted to take the upright I have at home from my parents (Kawai CX9) and try to perform a mechanical checkup.
The idea is just to disassemble it a bit, clean it, observe what works well and what works less so, and then put everything back in place so as to begin gaining confidence at least with the part of analyzing the mechanics...
I found online both the manual with all the parts and a manual that indicates the adjustments. I am trying to make myself a checklist based on what I have found, on pianoexpert videos and other info.
I was thinking of starting by examining key by key that the dynamics work, the state of the various gaskets, felts, and skins for friction, and then the adjustment according to what the manual says. I wouldn't mind also calculating the let-off weight and the return weight (p.s. can anyone tell me where and what range of weights to buy?).
Just to start with the simplest things to get into the instrument...
any suggestions? what tools do you consider necessary to be able to carry out a small checkup without the ambition of solving significant problems for now, but only identifying them?
Luca
G
giovannip
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Reply 2 by giovannip
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Are you sure you want to do it? My grandfather did the same thing with an old pocket watch and in the end, he was left with a certain number of gears that he no longer knew where to put... Naturally, I was joking; I myself experiment with the disassembly and reassembly of various objects—once I completely disassembled a digital piano (some keys had hardened and wouldn't spring back) with enormous satisfaction. I advise you to film or photograph all the various stages of the disassembly.
As for equipment, Paolo will surely be able to tell you which one to use (provided he reads this topic).
The first thing to check is the smoothness of the action and, if you really want to, perhaps by sampling, you can perform a test on some of the jack pins, the escapement uprights, and on the hammer rails. If you don't have the small tool to measure the resistance of the action pins, you can adjust it with the screw. A pin is correct when the rail falls smoothly and uniformly under its own weight.
Next, you can check all the wear of the felts and skins. The wear of the hammer felt is important, but, I would say, avoid shaving it down. Check the dampers, including the pins and spring tension. Check for the correct play in the key bushings and the free movement of the keys when moving them to the right and to the left. Check keyboard leveling and the depth of the white keys and black keys. General regulation of the action, tuning, and hammer voicing.
Regarding the small instrument to measure resistance or other useful tools, is there any link where they can be purchased (or at least seen)?
Regarding the wear of the felts and skins, I was wondering if there were any "worn vs new" photos available somewhere. In reality, it's clear when there is zero wear and I also think when it is completely destroyed... the middle grounds are less clear to me since I don't have a new piano at hand...
Everything can be found in piano supplies, but it is not advisable for you to buy the instrument. You will realize for yourself if the pins are too "resistant" with the screw system. Naturally, replacing felts and skins requires a minimum of experience and searching for the right material. Gluing must also be done in the correct way. Replacing the hammer rail is a task for experts. Furthermore, it is not easy to respect the alignments during reassembly, which is very important. Every tiny variation can affect the final result. Every piano can have its own peculiarities. A good technician who wants to help you completely restore the instrument is necessary, perhaps through shadowing, if he is available and not protective of his knowledge. I would say start like this. Good luck
P.S. all replaced parts should not be thrown away, especially the hammers!!!!!
