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Vertical Grand Lids

  • 1.  Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-22-2017 11:27
    My esteemed colleagues,

    Does anyone have a good method for dealing with upright lids that are hinged on the side, the so-called vertical grand?

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    Benjamin Sloane
    Cincinnati OH
    513-257-8480
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  • 2.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-22-2017 11:29

    I pull the long pin.






  • 3.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-22-2017 12:03
    Sometimes there are two hinges. Yes you can remove the hinge pins and then remove the lid. Or you can take a 3 ft dowel of .5 diameter, drill a hole on one end in which you put a balance key pin and on the other end you can glue a large rubber button. Works for me all the time.
    Peter 

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    Petrus Janssen
    Sharpsburg GA
    678-416-8055
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  • 4.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-22-2017 12:40
    Ben

    There was a discussion about this on PTI last week. Many of us use 3 of the 4 sections of the drop action rod.  From Schaff

    3339 SECTIONAL STEEL RODS

    Set includes 4 rods, each 13" long, that are screwed together and are used for holding upright drop action stickers out of the way when removing the action from the piano.  Most action brackets have hooks cast into them to hold this rod.  Nickel plated.



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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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  • 5.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-22-2017 17:56
    I simply pull the pin also.

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 6.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-22-2017 21:43
    There is nothing wrong with puling the pin or 2 pins, as long as they come out easy, and go back in easy. But here in Hawaii, most of the time the hinge pins are corroded, and it (they) are very hard to pull out.

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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  • 7.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-23-2017 08:19
    If you can't pull the pin(s) and don't have a dowel or ceiling clearance, you can pull out and use the dowel from the soft pedal or a broom handle even.  I've done both in a pinch.
    Gary Bruce
    Registered Piano Technician
    CLICK HERE to schedule your next piano tuning.

    405-285-8324
    BruceMusicStore.com

    We would love for you to connect with us!





  • 8.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-23-2017 10:24
    Just Take the pins out. I have found that it is easier to put the pins back in if you prop the lid up. Frequently there is a "loud" rod or somesuch at the other end. Or you can use any of the other suggested rods.  Also, polish the pins and put some Protek MPL-1 on them before reassembly.

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    Sheffey Gregory, RPT
    [
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  • 9.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-23-2017 17:38
    I also find it easiest to pull the hinge pins and lift the lid.
    There are those few pianos, Yamahas I think, where the hinge is designed to pull apart. Simply lift the lid a bit and pull towards yourself.
    Nancy Salmon, RPT
    LaVale, MD

    On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 10:24 AM, Sheffey Gregory via Piano Technicians Guild






  • 10.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Member
    Posted 02-22-2017 19:42
    I have done various things including removing the pin but the easiest thing to do is find a tall chair and just fold the lid back . Of course you will need to have enough ceiling clearance so check that it will not hit the ceiling. I tuned a Yamaha a few months ago with this style of hinge and there was a large stuffed chair with a high back on it next to the piano. Often the long pin which is more like a wire is bent all over the place and hard to get out and hard to get in. If I have to get it out I use a pin punch and the little mallet hammer to knock it out. You can also tap it out about an inch then use a vise grip to yank it out.

    Wim... I think he was trying to deal with the lid not taking the action out..

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 11.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-22-2017 20:22
    If the pin will pull out, I lubricate it with a little VJ lube when I put it back in. I also leave it a fraction of an inch out. Sometimes I've found it inserted from the back. I always move it to the front so it can be pulled forward to remove it.

    For awhile I did keep  in the trunk a long dowel with a bent balance rail pin and a front rail punching in one end, and a rubber crutch tip on the other. The pin went into the brass "keeper" on the inside of the case, and the rubber crutch tip fit into the corner of the lid. The bend in the pin allowed it to be vertical in the brass case part.

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    Susan Kline
    Philomath, Oregon
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  • 12.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 02-23-2017 07:48
    On some brands you don't need to remove the pin. If the pin is rotated to just the right position you you can remove the lid by pulling it straight up. There are notches in the pin that allow the upper hinge flange to clear those notches. Just be sure to rotate the pin to a secure position after installing the lid so it won't accidentally come off if pulled. I can't remember which brands do this but I was thrilled when I discovered it. 

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    David Chadwick
    Coshocton OH
    740-610-6695
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  • 13.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-23-2017 11:26
    I ran into one piano this spring that did not have pins to pull.  The hinge was screwed in place, and that was that.  It was in a basement with a suspended ceiling.  I ended up using something like a coat hanger wire to tie the lid to a ceiling rail while I tuned.  Definitely one of the more iffy solutions I have used.

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    Floyd Gadd
    Regina SK
    306-721-9699
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  • 14.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-24-2017 06:17
    Thanks everybody,

    This was a Wurlitzer. I was back and forth to the hardware store, and couldn't get the pin out soon enough to tune. I communicate with clients a lot and we rescheduled. This one participated. He called me later after I posted, and told me he got the lid off. I think he explained to me I was trying to remove the pin backwards. He just got the piano, and never had it tuned before. Well see..

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    Benjamin Sloane
    Cincinnati OH
    513-257-8480
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  • 15.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 02-25-2017 02:10
    I used to tune an Upright where the top lid hinges with fixed pins (at the Bass end) were similar to those in an old Bechstein Grand - i.e. they could only be slid apart when fully open. Fortunately the ceiling of the room was high enough to accommodate this . . .  otherwise ??? your coat-hangar trick!    Michael    UK





  • 16.  RE: Vertical Grand Lids

    Posted 04-21-2017 01:31
    BTW,

    I started this discussion some time ago. 

    On this particular vertical grand, the pin had a head like a nail. I was trying to drive it out backwards, like my client discovered. 




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    Benjamin Sloane
    Cincinnati OH
    513-257-8480
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