Pianotech

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

So...is the problem caused because the factory used a heat-activated glue on the bushing cloth?  (And they <what?> applied too much heat?

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Wim .. was this ever under warranty claims like the crumbling action projects ? I would like to find something in writing from the company that states the problem and the warranty claim process- that is if there ever was one. When I tell customers what it is they usually go ballistic thinking I am trying to upcharge them . There are the customers that say it didnt have the problem before you worked on it in cases when you tuned the piano but then they play it, heat up the action centers and you get a call back. 

So...is the problem caused because the factory used a heat-activated glue on the bushing cloth?  (And they <what?> applied too much heat?

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Wim .. was this ever under warranty claims like the crumbling action projects ? I would like to find something in writing from the company that states the problem and the warranty claim process- that is if there ever was one. When I tell customers what it is they usually go ballistic thinking I am trying to upcharge them . There are the customers that say it didnt have the problem before you worked on it in cases when you tuned the piano but then they play it, heat up the action centers and you get a call back. 

So...is the problem caused because the factory used a heat-activated glue on the bushing cloth?  (And they <what?> applied too much heat?

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

So...is the problem caused because the factory used a heat-activated glue on the bushing cloth?  (And they <what?> applied too much heat?

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

So...is the problem caused because the factory used a heat-activated glue on the bushing cloth?  (And they <what?> applied too much heat?

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Wim,

Your description of the conundrum faced by the client is spot on. To it, I would add one of the ten points from "The Gospel According to Norman (Neblett), as Preached to His Disciple, Rick (Baldassin)." 

"Do not let the client's problem become your problem."

Thank you for this pearl of wisdom, Norm (and Rick)!

Alan

Paul and Blaine are right about this issue. The problem is a night mare that seems to lurk in the shadow. A few hammers here a few hammers there and you can end up with multiple call backs. There are a number of posts about the issue . The customer does not want to believe that their piano has the problem requiring several hours of labor to ream flanges and re-pin. The friction generated by playing heats up the felt and glue and gums up the works. It is not the same as the green verdigris found in many older Steinways due to the practice of water/moisture proofing wooden parts by boiling in paraffin. I have encountered the issue in many Church owned instruments as well as residential mostly in Samicks and YC products. Poor air conditioning and high humidity is a double whammy here in SC 

Daniel,

Under a microscope the flange pins from sticking parts show a glue residue.  I believe that this is from a manufacturing technique that Samick (and possibly Young Chang) used.  Lubrication will  only temporarily relieve the problem.  Repinning without reaming the bushing slightly might allow the residual glue to re-infect the flange.  Usually this problem resolves if you lightly ream the bushing and repin with an appropriate new pin.

Usually this problem gets worse with playing, presumably because the glue warms up and migrates.

Remove a few pins and examine with a good magnifying glass (I recommend an inexpensive 10X: https://www.amazon.com/Othmro-Magnifier-Diameter-Foldable-Magnifying/dp/B07X6T781D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=10x%2Bmini%2Bmagnifying%2Bloupe&qid=1704353452&sr=8-8&th=1).  The glue might show as white, clear or blue gum on the pin.

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

------------------------------
Daniel Alberts RPT
Connellsville PA
(724) 628-4298
------------------------------

I have always also been suspicious that these Samick Kohler/Campbell Samicks, and others, with this issue may also be something in the glue/felt that is actually reacting to, and "etching", the plating on plated center pins. I have never use a microscope but have used optivisors. I seem to recall actually seeing pitting of the plating. Also player systems are more problematic as the more playing, the more the friction heats up the pin. This also happens more with students that practice 3 - 5 hours a day.

MOSTLY FOR NEWER TECHS who have not really encountered this problem yet: If you come to one of these Samicks, or others, and notice a few sluggish grand hammers be forewarned! If you pull the grand action to deal with these, be very careful not to move any other hammers out of their normal path of movement as doing this will likely cause them to become sluggish and seize up. If you do move other hammers out of their normal travel path, do it before the tuning and not after the tuning or you may very well get a call back. If before tuning, your service call will likely be extended. If after, you may get a call back

I always inform the customer of this condition but couch it as Good News and Bad News. Good news is that they have a very nice piano and that bad news is that it has a "condition" that is common with these brands and vintage, and that notes may randomly become sluggish of seize up. And, that we will see how it goes under their normal playing patterns. Protek often solves this problem under light to medium playing environments. Mark any notes that you treat with protek.

I also know a Tech that did an alcohol/water treatment on all grand hammer centers. Everything seized up and stayed that way. Thus, a complete re-pin was required. Alcohol/water treatment for these pianos is NOT recommended.

------------------------------
Tremaine Parsons RPT
Georgetown CA
(530) 333-9299
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-02-2024 15:22
From: Daniel Alberts
Subject: Samick SIG 50

Greetings and Happy New Year!  Over the years, I have worked on plenty of Samick grand pianos and have encountered some of the excessive friction with the action center pinning.  On this particular piano (which I estimate around 15 years of age) the jacks have been the culprit.  The piano has always presented with excessive friction in the jacks since I have been servicing the piano over the past 7 years.  Protek lubricant has done very little with only very short term results at best.  In October 2021, I scheduled some time to work on the piano and at that time the jacks were really presenting with a high degree of friction.  Some of the jacks were actually frozen.  I ended up resizing/fitting/repinning nearly 40 of the jacks and was very careful to obtain a nice proper fit in both the jack birds-eye and in the felt bushings.  When I finished the piano was playing as best as ever since I began servicing the instrument.  I followed up with a phone call to my client a few months after the work and my client reported that everything was working fine. 

This year just before Christmas, I received a call from my client advising that his daughter would be home for the holidays playing the piano and to report that there are a couple notes not playing.  Around 7:45 PM on December 22, 2023, I stopped by for what I assumed would be a quick service call to address a couple sticking notes.  To my surprise, I found much more in the way of friction than I ever expected or was reported. I was very disappointed in what I had found.  In an attempt to keep the client hovering until they could fly, I lubricated all the jacks with Protek and worked the couple that were frozen aggressively enough with multiple applications of lubrication to get them to play.  I would be surprised if this got them through the holidays.  My records indicate that I re-pinned 37 notes in October 2021, however, I did not list each note specifically re pinned but did indicate in my service notes that I left a chalk mark on each whippen by the jack window on the notes that were re-pinned and fitted in October 2021.  I'm fairly certain that at least some of notes re-pinned in October 2021 are among some of the notes that were sticking during my service call recently on December 22, 2023.   It is worth noting, that this piano is equipped with a piano disc system.  Since it was already the end of a very long day and in the home just before Christmas I elected not to pull the action for further investigation and work that evening.  I left that evening after explaining to the customer that hopefully the lubrication would carry through the holidays but a return service visit would be required after the holidays for a more in depth evaluation and recommendation.  Now, I am pondering my next options.  I have attended various classes at convention and recall reading some articles regarding pinning friction problems in Samick and other similar brand pianos manufactured in the general region. I have heard that there might have been a reaction between the glue and the felt, a possibility of twisted bushing cloth that resulted in friction and on and on.  Experience has lead to some of my own opinions, however, normally I get the piano to adequately perform.  This one seems to be much more stubborn so I'm seeking any advice about written article, or past experiences and remedies that anyone might add that might be helpful.  If the previous re-pinning did not seem to provide a long term result, I am skeptical to consider re-bushing all the flanges.  Whippen part replacement on this entry level piano would normally not seem feasible, however, since the piano was purchased new and is equipped with a piano disc system this complicates the matter further.  I'm hoping to come up with a reasonable solution to address the problem long term and to present to my client when I return in the next few weeks.  Thanking you in advance for any helpful input.

Dan Alberts

RPT Pittsburgh, PA              

------------------------------
Daniel Alberts RPT
Connellsville PA
(724) 628-4298
------------------------------