Repairs:
It can be the most anoying thing; a sticking note, a creeking pedal, a squeek or a broken castor.
No matter what the problem; no job is to small, and we will make the effort to be with you as soon as possible!
Restoration:
In orderto restring an upright piano,
De-stringing
- If possible remove the Key bed.
- Take a rubbing of the strings; remove the 1st and last bi-cords & singles to send off.
- Loosen the tension on the strings.
- Remove all Bass strings.
- Whilst removing the steel strings, gauge them for thickness using a Micrometer. (Keeping a written record of size and string pattern).
- Measure height of pressure bar and remove.
- Measure & gauge the wrest (Tuning) pins.
- Remove pins with the help of a reversible drill and adaptor.
- Remove old frame & bearing felts (Keeping a pattern)
- Whilst cleaning soundboard and surrounding area (Checking for splits).
- Clean up bridge pins and burnish bridges.
Re- stringing
- Cut frame (baring) felt to pattern and glue in position
- Fit new strings, starting from top treble, (making sure they are connected to the appropriate hitch pins).
- Squeeze Becket & Tidy coils.
- Tap strings down on hitch pins & bridges.
- Space & Stretch steel strings.
- Fit Bass Strings, (tidy coils etc. & stretch).
- Screw Pressure bar back on to original height. (Making sure the back of the bar is smooth. i.e. No grooves).
- Hammer Wrest pins in to the appropriate height.
- Thread on listing felt between bridge & hitch pins.
- Gradually raise the tension and chip up.
- Replace Key bed & Action
Tune up to concert pitch (A440).
Piano Regulation: The regulation procedure for an upright piano, considering everything to be mechanically sound is to firstly adjust the keys, making sure that they are neither too tight or to loose. I would then check the alignment of the pilot/ check wires; these need to be vertical with the checks, symmetrical and lined up to the balance hammer, this method is achieved by the use of cranking pliers and a check bender. First I would make sure the half blow lever is not being hindered by the pedal rod. I would set the blow distance at approximately 1.7/8". I then regulate the lost motion. This is to make sure the jacks are seated just under the butt of the hammer, so that the hammers lift exactly at the same time as the key is pressed. This is adjusted by a turn of a screw, capston or pilot depending on the make of the piano. I would use a screwdriver or a capston regulator for this purpose. Next, on the agenda is to level the keys. Key leveling is performed by inserting different thicknesses of paper washers under each key on the balance pin. Firstly I would look at the height of the key rail in relation to the key so that the key sits approximately 1/8" under the top of the rail. Once the naturals (white keys) have been leveled I would then level the sharps (black keys). This I would do with the help of a jaras sharp leveler. The next step then is to adjust the set off. When the key is pressed the hammer moves forward until it is around 1/8" from the string; it should then kickback away due to the set off screw coming into contact with the jack. The tool required for this procedure is called a set off regulator. Next I would proceed to do the check off. The depth would be adjusted by the same means as when keys are leveled, by the use of paper washers being positioned under the front felts on the batt pin. After this I would regulate the Jack Slap (Repetition) rail with the use of the appropriate regulating tool, this should be adjusted so that when the key is pressed to its full depth there should be movement of approximately 1/16" between Jack and Rail itself. The tool I use for this process is an angled spoon adjuster.
I would then regulate the dampers by firstly checking that there is a little play between the pedal rod and the lift rail. I align the dampers to the strings, once again making sure they are symmetrical and then start regulating the damper lift to the rail. Each damper should start lifting at the same time with particular attention spent on the damping of the string itself, making sure the damper head is seated on the wire correctly so that it has no over tones; This would be achieved with the use of a damper regulating tool.
Next on the list of jobs is to make sure the hammers are set square
to the strings. If some of the heads are not I would heat the shank up with a small flame whilst at the same time twist the head and hold it for a while until it is set in the correct possition. I would then make sure they travel in a straight line towards the string and do not veer over to one side. If there is any sideward travel from the hammer, it would need to be cancelled out by the use of a paper shim or two being inserted either side of the screw behind the hammer flange.
Next, is the measurement of the blow distance, this is how far the hammer rests on the rail from the string.
This is the measurement from where the hammer stops (checks) from the string, once the note has been played. This would be adjusted by moving the check back or forward with the aid of a check regulating tool. I would tend to do this in conjunction with the depth of touch. The depth of the key should be approximately 3/8" and is measured with the help of a depth block.
Next, I would turn my attention to the spoons. This is a small metal spoon that sits on the end of the lever. When the key is pressed and the lever rises, the spoon comes into contact with the tail end of the damper and causes the damper to start lifting from the string; I would not normally adjust it to a certain measurement but, just make sure it''s comfortable to the touch. The earlier the spoon starts lifting the damper the heavier the touch will be.
The final part of regulation is to adjust the soft pedal; This is the one on the left, so that when the pedal is pushed down, there is enough movement for the half blow to push the hammers closer to the strings to a point where the keys are not hindered by the tapes pulling the levers off the keys and causing them to move.
