Piano Repair -- Old Dampers

In this video, Ed Tomlinson demonstrates how to fix the dampers on an old piano (in this case, an Acrosonic). It's a pretty easy process!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• California
• Keyboards
• Bakersfield
• Ed
• Tomlinson
• dampers
• piano
• repair
• Acrosonic

[circles79]

@jjp009 I will. thanks again!



[jjp009]

@circles79 PS Let me know how it comes out.

[jjp009]

@circles79 I can't imagine any manufacturer wanting its pianos to continue ringing after you let off the pedal...it makes the piano and the pianist sound very bad and sloppy. But, I've seen so much junk from back in those days that I'd believe anything. Definitely replace the felts AND the braiding everywhere and you might end up happy with it like I was. Take care.

[circles79]

@jjp009 Hey, thanks so much for getting back to me. I thought about damping the bass strings past the bridges as well. I'll have to try that. It's really not too terrible, but it would be nice to get it to be a bit quieter. From what I understand, some piano makers designed them to ring. Apparently it was a faddish effect in the early 20th century.

[jjp009]

@circles79 Part 3: One last thing, I even tried one other stupid thing after I had replaced the felts and that didn't work, and that was to use a piece of string stone (shaped like an eraser) and scape the rust off the strings where they contacted the dampers, thinking it was the rust causing the bad seal, and that was also a waste of time. Don't even bother with that one.

[jjp009]

@circles79 Part 2: I tried one last thing, and replaced all the braiding on the top and bottom of the non-speaking portions of the strings as they were quite worn, and that fixed it for the most part. Still a little ringy, but much better. It was the bass strings' worn braiding that was causing the tenor and treble strings to ring sympathetically. The new bass braiding at the bottom stopped most of that. The piano is acceptable now to me and the customer. Good luck to you.

[jjp009]

@circles79 Part 1: Hey circles: No problem at all. Yes, I did end up replacing all of the damper felts on this old Hardman & Peck 54" upright piano (It was a Playotone player piano that someone had removed all the guts years ago), and believe it or not, that did NOT help. I even bent all the damper wires for maximum contact on the strings...no luck; it still rang and rang very annoyingly.

[circles79]

@jjp009 Hey, I realize this is an old comment, but I'm having a similar problem with a 1904 Hardman & Peck upright grand. Did you ever resolve the issue?

thanks.

[edtomlinson]

Replacement of the dampers is quick and easy on the old uprights. I would go that route. I have heard of using a fabric softner and other products but there is no substitute for a complete seal with fresh damper felt. Good luck.

[jjp009]

I wish my problem was that easy of a fix. I'm a piano tech doing some small restorations on a 1920's Hardman & Peck 54" Upright. I've replaced all of the ivory keytops with plastic, painted the sharps, adjusted lost motion and back checks, and now I'm about to tune it, but the dampers will not damp. They're dirty, but don't feel too crusty, but almost none work. I was going to try bending the springs to add tension, but that's a waste of time. Any suggestions before replacing them all?