Pianotech

  • 1.  yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-26-2013 20:40


    -------------------------------------------
    Bruce MacLeod
    Middletown CT
    860-346-8193
    -------------------------------------------

    I am replacing an entire set of flanges on a Yamaha M-series console, since over half of the cords are broken already.  Seems a daunting task. Are there any shortcuts?  I wonder, for instance, whether removing all of the wippens would save time since it would make replacement of the hammer assembly a lot easier.  I have done five or six of these at a time, but never a complete set.

    Thanks in advance.


  • 2.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-26-2013 21:34
    Bruce

    Look in the Pianotech library here on my.ptg and look for a recent posting by Keith McGavern for a nifty tool to use in cleaning the slots in Yamaha flanges.  You can make up a set of the cords by wrapping a large dowel, I believe it is 3/4" in diameter with the appropriate cord such as braided squidding line from the local fishing tackle shop.  Wrap tightly like a spring 88 revolutions.  You may want to go 90 or so just to have a few spares and then take a sharp razor blade and slice down the length of the wrap.  You will have 90 equal length strings to use in the flanges.  Hope this helps.

    -------------------------------------------
    Norman Cantrell
    Piano Clinic
    Lawton OK
    580-355-5003
    -------------------------------------------








  • 3.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 02-27-2013 00:34
    Here is the link for the Yamaha flange slot cleaning tool that Norman referenced.
    Paul McLoud and someone else earlier on mentioned using a hack saw blade which seems to me to be an excellent idea.

    Keith McGavern, RPT
    Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    tune-repair@allegiance.tv



  • 4.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 02-28-2013 13:38
    So!! At last someone has realised that the Yamaha Upright Butt-loops are somewhat suspect!! I've known this for literally years. And this is what I do about it, my 'modus operandi' and the 'special tool' I use for cleaning out the flange slot. First of all you don'r need to go out and buy anything! Here's why. Get any plastic coat hanger with a swivelling hook! Break out that hook! Bend the end in your vise to 90deg. Use a hammer to help with this. If the end breaks off.... just get another coat hanger and start again. They're free! And they come with a convenient hook to easily drag the business end through the slots! Having successfully got your 90 deg. 'bent over end' use your grinding wheel to sharpen it to a 'V'. and make a cutting side - rather like a lathe tool for cutting threads. With this great, free, tool you can scrape out the remanants of the old useless cord Yamaha used and replace it with new woven proper stuff - mine is black. Before doing this, though, get a piece of stiff card and bend it in two. Wind the new loop cord onto this cheap 'former' and, using scissors (or a sharp knife) isert the blade between the two parts of the 'former' and slice through the cord. Thus you'll get as many correct length pices of cord to replace those grotty old Yamaha ones. Obviously you have to gauge the size of the card 'former' in order to get the right length cords for your flanges. It took me just three hours to replace all the flange loops in an upright U-2. Use a cocktail stick to both insert the glue into the slots and to tamp down the ends of the new loops into it, then add a topping of more glue - just to make the cheese more binding. You will, of course, have to re-profile the hammers before you can consider the job done.
    Good Luck!
    Michael (UK)

    -------------------------------------------
    Michael Gamble
    semi retired
    Brighton
    01273813612
    -------------------------------------------








  • 5.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 03-01-2013 07:21

    One item I forgot to include: Having wound onto the 'former' sufficient turns = the number of loops required, ensuring all turns are not overlapping, attach a length of masking tape BEFORE cutting! This (obviously) gives you a length of masking tape with all the loop cords attached - which is very handy and no mess. Just pull off a loop cord as required.

    END.  Michael (UK)


    -------------------------------------------
    Michael Gamble
    semi retired
    Brighton
    01273813612
    -------------------------------------------








  • 6.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 03-01-2013 07:50
    Michael, great tip, I added it to my procedure.

    -------------------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page




  • 7.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-26-2013 21:54
    Bruce

    I just walked in from my shop where I am doing exactly the same thing. (I just did the bass section, and will do the rest on Thursday). As Norman just said, there are articles in the archives, and there have also been several auricles in the Journal about this, which all tell you to replace just the silk cord. The reason for this is because each flange was traveled at the factory, and when you replace just the silk cord, you don't have to spend any time traveling and spacing the hammers.

    Well, for someone who has done about 2 dozen of these jobs in the past 5 years, I have found that replacing the silk cords is a much BIGGER hassle than replacing the flanges. I tried replacing the silk cord method once, and it took me 6 hours of painstaking work. I can replace a set of flanges in about 3 hours, and then spend less than an hour travelings a few hammers here and there.

    You shouldn't have to remove the jupons to get the jacks out of the way. It's a little tricky, but it's not too difficult to push the jack to one side. Just make sure to turn the flange screw to the left first, so as not to cross thread the machine screw into the action rail.

    You might also was to consider replacing all the bridle straps at the same time as replacing the flanges. 

    Good luck

    -------------------------------------------
    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
    -------------------------------------------








  • 8.  RE: yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-26-2013 21:58
    Hi, Bruce: I've done many sets of these. If there is a butt plate and screw, you can remove the butts easily and leave the flanges attached to the rail. Removing the wippens makes it easier but isn't necessary. You can also remove the hammer rest rail, which really makes it easy. Take a piece of hack saw blade and scrape out the slot and glue in new thread. If there is no plate and screw, you'll have to remove all the hammers from the rail and clamp them individually. It takes hours to do this, so yeah, it seems daunting, but if you remove what's in the way, it makes it a lot easier. A strong light and good eyesight helps too! Good luck. Paul McCloud (distant relative!) San Diego


  • 9.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 02-26-2013 22:04
    If you are replacing all the flanges, save them and replace the cord at your leisure.
    Then you will have a complete set to replace the next time.
    I am assuming that it should be cheaper than a new set.

    -------------------------------------------
    John M. Ross
    Ross Piano Service
    Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
    jrpiano@bellaliant.net


    -------------------------------------------








  • 10.  RE:yamaha upright flanges/cords

    Posted 02-27-2013 07:01
      |   view attached

    Here's my procedure.
    -------------------------------------------
    Regards,

    Jon Page