Pianotech

This piano needed a touch up regulation especially strengthening of the rep springs, fixing several tight hammer flanges, adjusting letoff .

After removing the top stack I noticed an abundant amount of talc under the keys and after taking off keys to clean and polish keypins found it all over including on top of and around the accelerated action bearings. When i released the rep springs from the grubs found that their tips were loaded with verdigris. the 5 hammer flanges only had 1/2 swing but after a new pin and reaming/burnishing it went to 7 swings. I noticed that the ends of the center pins on all of the whippen flanges had green vertigris. Removing a whippen I found that the flange had no swing and did not move the tongue of my gram gauge indicating more than 10 grams friction. Random swing tests on hammers showed others at 1/2; 1 1/2 and 7 . The other oddity is the color of the hammer flanges and the whippen flanges which are dark.At this juncture I feel I need to have a discussion with the client about this issue but it will not be worthwhile to spend time effort and money with parts that have a verdigris issue. anyoneMy question is whether is aware of verdigris problems in this decade (1950's) . The action rails are all brass/tubular and I noticed green behind the whippen flange . Perhaps some old action parts and bad felt got into the piano during a rebuild. I did not see any stamp or name on the hammers or the shanks so maybe there was a rebuild using new hammers and shanks and whippens with old verdigris contaminated flanges.






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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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1956, sure there was plenty of verdigris around. Those centers got dunked in the tallow concoction in the factory. Parts replacement is the only certain solution.

------------------------------
Patrick Draine
Billerica MA
978-663-9690
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-02-2018 22:26
From: James Kelly
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

This piano needed a touch up regulation especially strengthening of the rep springs, fixing several tight hammer flanges, adjusting letoff .

After removing the top stack I noticed an abundant amount of talc under the keys and after taking off keys to clean and polish keypins found it all over including on top of and around the accelerated action bearings. When i released the rep springs from the grubs found that their tips were loaded with verdigris. the 5 hammer flanges only had 1/2 swing but after a new pin and reaming/burnishing it went to 7 swings. I noticed that the ends of the center pins on all of the whippen flanges had green vertigris. Removing a whippen I found that the flange had no swing and did not move the tongue of my gram gauge indicating more than 10 grams friction. Random swing tests on hammers showed others at 1/2; 1 1/2 and 7 . The other oddity is the color of the hammer flanges and the whippen flanges which are dark.At this juncture I feel I need to have a discussion with the client about this issue but it will not be worthwhile to spend time effort and money with parts that have a verdigris issue. anyoneMy question is whether is aware of verdigris problems in this decade (1950's) . The action rails are all brass/tubular and I noticed green behind the whippen flange . Perhaps some old action parts and bad felt got into the piano during a rebuild. I did not see any stamp or name on the hammers or the shanks so maybe there was a rebuild using new hammers and shanks and whippens with old verdigris contaminated flanges.






------------------------------
James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

I have seen verdigris in early 60's pianos.

Pwg

------------------------------
Peter Grey
Stratham NH
603-686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-02-2018 22:37
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

1956, sure there was plenty of verdigris around. Those centers got dunked in the tallow concoction in the factory. Parts replacement is the only certain solution.

------------------------------
Patrick Draine
Billerica MA
978-663-9690

Original Message:
Sent: 11-02-2018 22:26
From: James Kelly
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

This piano needed a touch up regulation especially strengthening of the rep springs, fixing several tight hammer flanges, adjusting letoff .

After removing the top stack I noticed an abundant amount of talc under the keys and after taking off keys to clean and polish keypins found it all over including on top of and around the accelerated action bearings. When i released the rep springs from the grubs found that their tips were loaded with verdigris. the 5 hammer flanges only had 1/2 swing but after a new pin and reaming/burnishing it went to 7 swings. I noticed that the ends of the center pins on all of the whippen flanges had green vertigris. Removing a whippen I found that the flange had no swing and did not move the tongue of my gram gauge indicating more than 10 grams friction. Random swing tests on hammers showed others at 1/2; 1 1/2 and 7 . The other oddity is the color of the hammer flanges and the whippen flanges which are dark.At this juncture I feel I need to have a discussion with the client about this issue but it will not be worthwhile to spend time effort and money with parts that have a verdigris issue. anyoneMy question is whether is aware of verdigris problems in this decade (1950's) . The action rails are all brass/tubular and I noticed green behind the whippen flange . Perhaps some old action parts and bad felt got into the piano during a rebuild. I did not see any stamp or name on the hammers or the shanks so maybe there was a rebuild using new hammers and shanks and whippens with old verdigris contaminated flanges.






------------------------------
James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

Patrick, I'm curious about this "tallow concoction" that you mention.  I've always been inclined to attribute verdigris to treatment with mineral oil (known across the pond as "paraffin oil"), which it seems was a common panacea for anything sluggish back in the day.  Are we talking about the same thing?

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Cecil Snyder
Torrance CA
310-542-7108
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-03-2018 18:59
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

I have seen verdigris in early 60's pianos.

Pwg

------------------------------
Peter Grey
Stratham NH
603-686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com

Original Message:
Sent: 11-02-2018 22:37
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

1956, sure there was plenty of verdigris around. Those centers got dunked in the tallow concoction in the factory. Parts replacement is the only certain solution.

------------------------------
Patrick Draine
Billerica MA
978-663-9690

Original Message:
Sent: 11-02-2018 22:26
From: James Kelly
Subject: Steinway S - 1956

This piano needed a touch up regulation especially strengthening of the rep springs, fixing several tight hammer flanges, adjusting letoff .

After removing the top stack I noticed an abundant amount of talc under the keys and after taking off keys to clean and polish keypins found it all over including on top of and around the accelerated action bearings. When i released the rep springs from the grubs found that their tips were loaded with verdigris. the 5 hammer flanges only had 1/2 swing but after a new pin and reaming/burnishing it went to 7 swings. I noticed that the ends of the center pins on all of the whippen flanges had green vertigris. Removing a whippen I found that the flange had no swing and did not move the tongue of my gram gauge indicating more than 10 grams friction. Random swing tests on hammers showed others at 1/2; 1 1/2 and 7 . The other oddity is the color of the hammer flanges and the whippen flanges which are dark.At this juncture I feel I need to have a discussion with the client about this issue but it will not be worthwhile to spend time effort and money with parts that have a verdigris issue. anyoneMy question is whether is aware of verdigris problems in this decade (1950's) . The action rails are all brass/tubular and I noticed green behind the whippen flange . Perhaps some old action parts and bad felt got into the piano during a rebuild. I did not see any stamp or name on the hammers or the shanks so maybe there was a rebuild using new hammers and shanks and whippens with old verdigris contaminated flanges.






------------------------------
James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------