In Place of the Bechstein Grand Piano...

As promised, here is the video.

Hi!

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1) Some friction on the damper rail. 2) The fact that D# doesn't sound makes me think, just by feel, of the escapement lever not returning to its seat under the hammer butt but remaining to the side, i.e., in the position it should be once it escapes from the butt. Releasing the key should make the clip return it to position; if it doesn't return to position, it doesn't push the hammer butt and therefore the hammer does not reach the strings. In this case, it could be the center pin of the escapement lever or a spring that is too soft; I believe the former more likely. 3) For the pedal, you only need to lubricate the joints and/or the pedal rod. 4) Yes, I really think they need to be shaved, but for study purposes, it's fine as it is.

All in all, the piano seems to be in good condition. Obviously, we will listen to Paolo's authoritative opinion anyway; mine are just mere chatter. Best regards.

Simone answered very well and said everything correctly. I also think it is the escapement lever pivot. It could also be that the pallet is too high, but I don't think so.

Thank you very much for your availability...

One more thing: is there something I can fix by myself (pedal duration? e.g. 😕)

Thank you very much for the help...

That squeak might depend on the rod. Try applying some graphite to its felted end part. You can adjust the pedal using the screw at the bottom, near the pedalboard

Thank you very much Paolo...

I will see if I can do something...

I will keep you updated as always...

Bye!

FrancescoDiParigi wrote:

Thank you very much Paolo...

I'll see if I can do something...

I will keep you updated as always...

Bye!

Here I am to update you...

So, the other day I opened the piano with my music teacher and we took a look...

For the pedal it was quite simple: the felt was a bit worn out, so we cleaned off some dust and spread some graphite powder...

For the D# that wasn't playing it was a bit more complicated, he took care of it, I didn't quite understand what he did... but he told me that it was indeed the pivot of the lever, but also the pilot too high... furthermore, he noticed it was on several notes, not just on the D#... Anyway, it is now resolved.

Practically speaking, the piano is now in (almost) excellent condition. In short, I have a place to study. 😉

Bye!

Hello everyone!

So, today I played the piano again and noticed that the problem of the notes not playing has disappeared everywhere, except for D#. So I opened the top and front of the piano to take a closer look. My first hypothesis was again the escapement lever, and it was only half right, in the sense that the problem is caused by the fact that the spring that should push the escapement under the repetition lever when the key is at rest is a bit too soft. In fact, I tried with a rod to move the escapement lever, pushing it (with the key at rest) under the repetition lever. The first strike I made was perfect, but from the second one on, the escapement no longer repositioned itself. In short, the problem is "simple": a spring that is too soft (excuse the pun 🙂). But what can I do? Especially because these springs are "hidden" behind various other levers... Basically, my finger alone cannot reach them because they are behind... I don't know what those little things with the various felts on top and bottom are called (I know, I need to review the video course on upright piano mechanics 🙂).

Thank you in advance. Bye!

PS one detail, if it might be useful: the spring in question is a different color from all the others, and this makes me think that it has already been replaced... See you soon. Bye!

Well... More than the spring, my sixth sense tells me that it is the center pin that needs to be replaced. If the movement is free, the spring manages to reposition the escapement lever under the nut. Also because, remembering physics lab at university, springs have a limit of stretchability and/or compression within which they do not change their elastic constant, meaning they don't "lose their tension." I believe the mechanical springs are calculated to stay within the permitted range. Moreover, the piano does not seem like an antique instrument to me; rather, based on the school setting, that piano makes me suspect it could be the center pin all the more. At schools, it is known that during the night the heating is turned off and turned on in the morning before classes begin, therefore temperature fluctuations are commonplace, not to mention humidity. In my very modest opinion, it is the center pin of the escapement upright that needs to be replaced.

It could depend on the adjustment. There are three reasons why the lever does not reposition under the walnut: 1) too much key pilot height; 2) pivot laziness; 3) little spring force.

Updating here as well...

Today, like almost every Monday, I was playing on this piano... whatever it was, it's gone now. 🙂 Now all the keys sound as they should... Of course, there is no comparison in terms of sound if we compare it to the Bechstein, it seems obvious to me... 🙂

Rather, I noticed - even opening the "under keyboard" part of the piano - that the damper is operated by a steel cable that should slide inside a rubber tube... perhaps the fact that the damper stays down even with the pedal at rest depends on some friction inside this tube... But wasn't the damper supposed to be operated by a rod? 🙂 Here the only two rods are those of the damper pedal and the other one... which - besides bringing the hammers closer to the strings - I don't understand what it is supposed to do... 🙂

Rod or steel wire and sheath, the important thing is that it does its job; certainly, the same happens in engines, if the sheath has been bent or crushed at some point, the steel cable cannot move freely. Regarding the left pedal, that is exactly the task it must perform. In upright pianos, there is no pedal [but] a string, therefore its substitute brings the hammers closer to the strings so that their stroke decreases and thus also the sound for the same amount of force.

Hi everyone!!

First of all, I apologize if I haven't been heard from lately, but I have been very busy and despite wanting to dedicate more time to the site, I could never manage it.

So please forgive my absence.

The other day I got fed up with pressing that key to exhaustion when it kept not sounding, so I opened the piano and took out the action.

I started by examining the movement of the wippen and the escapement lever of the key in question, and I immediately noticed that:

1- indeed the lever pin is a bit sluggish, it doesn't allow the escapement to move freely ;

2- the escapement spring itself was out of position.

Regarding the first point, I couldn't do anything, but regarding the second... I repositioned the spring correctly.

Then, since I had practically disassembled the piano, I took the opportunity to fix other things. For example, I checked the key felts (I suspect they might be cashmere...) and gave them a clean.

then I adjusted the damper pedal using the screw at the bottom and straightened two that were vibrating a bit because they were slightly "turned" and were not resting correctly against the string.

Personally, I am quite satisfied with what I managed to do... First of all, now the cursed C# sounds... 😉

And in general, the action seems smoother to me... I don't know what this depends on... Maybe because there was SO much dust in the key pins...

In the meantime, I suggest a video I made right after finishing...

http://www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/172-il-mio-chiaro-di-luna/page__pid__2485&do=findComment&comment=2485

Well, Francesco!!!!! If the escape wheel arbor is still sluggish, you can give it a "little massage" by taking it with two fingers and forcing it to rock. This warms up the center pivot and the piece works better. The ideal thing would be to partially extract the pivot and heat it. Or heat it by contacting it with a hot iron, without extracting it. Regards

pianoexpert wrote:

Well, Francesco!!!!! If the escapement lever is still sluggish, you can give it a "little massage" by taking it with two fingers and forcing it to pivot. This warms up the center pin and the part works better. Ideally, one would partially extract the pin and heat it. Or heat it by contacting it with a hot iron, without extracting it. Regards

Ok thanks a lot Paolo... As soon as I have the chance, I will try to do as you told me. Another curiosity... Is it normal that on the soundboard, practically under the keys, it is so full of dust? 😮

Hi Francesco,

no, it is absolutely not normal for there to be lots of dust under the keys !!!

I advise you to remove all the keys and vacuum the dust,

taking care not to suck up the paper washers and kasimir.

Regards

Pianotuning

ok, in fact I was wondering what effect all that dust could have on the kasimir ...

Thank you

I will let you know. Bye!

Fine.

Let us know the developments!

Good work

Pianotuning