Pianotech

Two Chas M Stieff upright pianos have come into my care and feeding. Both are close in age 1900 and 1901. Both have the lost motion compensator that works with the left pedal. The middle pedal on both has a two piece lever that terminates to the right side of the piano with a long dowel that extends up through the keybed and lines up with the tuning pins and string pressure bar in the high treble . Question is what should it connect to and operate ? I believe is should be a muffler rail /practice felt like in many verticals today. There is no sostenuto mechanism or features such as a rod or blade to hold tabs. The Stieff I saw yesterday had a wooden mechanism with a tab the slid over and locked down the pedal. Very clever design actually. Two questions :

Any one have a picture if a working practice felt rail ?

Was the sostenuto an option with the felt bar the standard feature ?

 

Is there any way to put a sostenuto in one of these ?

 

By the way both actions are WN&G

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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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James, without seeing the piano, I couldn't tell you for certain, but your piano sounds similar to one of mine. Mine is a Melville Clark from the same time period, with a WNG action. It, too, has a lost motion compensator for the left pedal, and it has a mechanism underneath the keybed that connects to the middle pedal, and operates a long medal rod that extends from underneath the keybed to the pressure bar. It is located at the treble break, and operates a muffler rail. The muffler rail is suspended above the hammers by the rod, and when the pedal is pressed down, it lowers the rod and allows the rail to come down in front of the hammers. The muffler rail seemed to be a standard feature. 

I'll show you a picture when I have the chance; It is a truly great piano.

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Alex Doss

Complete Piano Service
Spring Hill, FL. 352-683-6915
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Excellent. These things seem to go missing perhaps during moves or due to moths eating them. There is a Cunningham here missing it in addition to a Stieff here and one in Florida that someone contacted me about. Pictures would be awesome and some measurements would be great since I will have to find replacements for all 3 pianos.

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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-29-2015 16:31
From: Alexander Doss
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

James, without seeing the piano, I couldn't tell you for certain, but your piano sounds similar to one of mine. Mine is a Melville Clark from the same time period, with a WNG action. It, too, has a lost motion compensator for the left pedal, and it has a mechanism underneath the keybed that connects to the middle pedal, and operates a long medal rod that extends from underneath the keybed to the pressure bar. It is located at the treble break, and operates a muffler rail. The muffler rail is suspended above the hammers by the rod, and when the pedal is pressed down, it lowers the rod and allows the rail to come down in front of the hammers. The muffler rail seemed to be a standard feature. 

I'll show you a picture when I have the chance; It is a truly great piano.

------------------------------
Alex Doss

Complete Piano Service
Spring Hill, FL. 352-683-6915
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Edward McMorrow
Edmonds WA
425-299-3431

Seattle Chapter member Dean Petrich has been recycling pianos for some years now. He saves hardware that seems someone might want in the future. Maybe he has some of this stuff. Look him up in the directory.

Hi James,

Look on the inside of the side panels for a hole.  This would be the pivot point for the mute rail.  The distance from that hole to the strung back plus a bit is where the bend would be for the rail.  Use pipe strap (narrow roll of sheet metal with lots of holes) to fashion your prototype and from that you can make a replacement.

As for finding a used one that would fit  .........  each piano was a wee bit different. 

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Larry Fisher
Owner, Chief Grunt, Head Hosehead
Vancouver WA
360-256-2999
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-29-2015 18:57
From: James Kelly
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

A very old thread, I know, but I was just looking at a 1915 Stieff upright with a working practice rail and should be in a position to take a photo of it in a few weeks. I also have some questions about it. 1) It has the locking tab as described previously, but no apparent means to unlock it. Once the tab slides over the pedal, there is no means to push the tab back (except to insert a screw driver and shove it aside). Does anyone know how it is intended to be unlocked? 2) Because the pedal has been locked, for decades possibly, the muffler felt is in tatters and should be replaced. It is quite thick, on the order of .250". Replacement felts tend to be .075" or less. Should I just go ahead and use a new style replacement?

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Carroll Arbogast
Needham MA
(617) 283-0443
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I will try to dig out my notes and pictures but I believe that just pressing the pedal down would unlock it. There may have been a spring involved. I never found out what the fate of the piano was. However it had a lot of potential and was built like a tank

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James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-19-2022 14:55
From: Carroll Arbogast
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

A very old thread, I know, but I was just looking at a 1915 Stieff upright with a working practice rail and should be in a position to take a photo of it in a few weeks. I also have some questions about it. 1) It has the locking tab as described previously, but no apparent means to unlock it. Once the tab slides over the pedal, there is no means to push the tab back (except to insert a screw driver and shove it aside). Does anyone know how it is intended to be unlocked? 2) Because the pedal has been locked, for decades possibly, the muffler felt is in tatters and should be replaced. It is quite thick, on the order of .250". Replacement felts tend to be .075" or less. Should I just go ahead and use a new style replacement?

------------------------------
Carroll Arbogast
Needham MA
(617) 283-0443
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 9/19/2022 6:49:00 PM
From: James Kelly
Subject: RE: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

I will try to dig out my notes and pictures but I believe that just pressing the pedal down would unlock it. There may have been a spring involved. I never found out what the fate of the piano was. However it had a lot of potential and was built like a tank

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 9/19/2022 6:49:00 PM
From: James Kelly
Subject: RE: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

I will try to dig out my notes and pictures but I believe that just pressing the pedal down would unlock it. There may have been a spring involved. I never found out what the fate of the piano was. However it had a lot of potential and was built like a tank

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James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

My neighbor has a Stieff upright in very poor but original condition. I'd be happy to take a photo of anything you'd like.

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Tim Foster RPT
New Oxford PA
(470) 231-6074
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-06-2025 12:36
From: Carroll Arbogast
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

Checking my old draft messages... This is what happens if one doesn't click "Send" (:-)

Thanks for the quick reply! Pressing the pedal down to unlock makes sense, although it's not working in this case. When I go back, I'll clean out all the old dust and check for a jammed or missing part.

Original Message:
Sent: 9/19/2022 6:49:00 PM
From: James Kelly
Subject: RE: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

I will try to dig out my notes and pictures but I believe that just pressing the pedal down would unlock it. There may have been a spring involved. I never found out what the fate of the piano was. However it had a lot of potential and was built like a tank

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 09-19-2022 14:55
From: Carroll Arbogast
Subject: Chas M Stieff Uprights pedal connections

A very old thread, I know, but I was just looking at a 1915 Stieff upright with a working practice rail and should be in a position to take a photo of it in a few weeks. I also have some questions about it. 1) It has the locking tab as described previously, but no apparent means to unlock it. Once the tab slides over the pedal, there is no means to push the tab back (except to insert a screw driver and shove it aside). Does anyone know how it is intended to be unlocked? 2) Because the pedal has been locked, for decades possibly, the muffler felt is in tatters and should be replaced. It is quite thick, on the order of .250". Replacement felts tend to be .075" or less. Should I just go ahead and use a new style replacement?

------------------------------
Carroll Arbogast
Needham MA
(617) 283-0443