Pianotech

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 2:43:00 PM
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 2:43:00 PM
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Thanks for posting that again Jon. I had found that in an older thread on this topic after doing a search. One thing I'm not clear on is whether you remove the flanges from the hammer butts on actions where there is not a butt plate (as in the action that I am currently working on). I tried replacing the cords without removing the flange from the butt, but it is a pain in the butt, and all I do is get glue everywhere and yank out a cord that I just glued in. The butt flange friction resistance on this action is at best 1g, so IMHO, it is a fine that anyway that I am repining. But I'm just curious whether you manage somehow to do this job with in the flanges attached to the hammer butts.

Another area of questions is your comment about reshaping the hammers on either a drum sander or a spindle sander. I have always reshaped hammers by hand, so using some sort of sander would be new to me (but I'd sure like to try it!). I do have a drum sander thingee that I can put on my ShopSmith. I've not ever used a spindle sander, but have seen them - I know what they are. Many, if not most are oscillating spindle sanders. If you have used an oscillating spindle sander for filing hammers, do you find that the oscillating feature of the sander does a better job on the hammer felt than just a straight drum sander? Also, how to do you control the hammer as it gets ground by the sander - seems like there would be some potential of uneven sanding (actually, I'm just imagining ME trying to do that - YIKES!). Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 07:57
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

44 mm cord length: wrap the cord around a 14 mm or 9/16" dowel or some other material of such a dimension to get 44 mm when the cord is sliced along the length of the wrappings. Place masking tape opposite the cut to secure the cords.

This and other info is in this pdf of my procedure.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

On centers w/o a butt plate I do not separate unless they need repinning. It takes a little longer, but doable. You could order new flanges from Yamaha and install them and then replace the loops at your convenience for the next set. Or just order new all the time. You'd have to inventory them as ordering from Yamaha can take a  l o n g  time.

I have a Rigid spindle sander from Home Depot. It also has an oscillating belt sander included (handy for player work). I made an elevated surface to reshape the hung hammers. It's not difficult to control but you can get carried away. I have yet to ruin a hammer, just don't use an aggressive paper, it's easier than you think. I get my spindle sanding sleeves from Klingspor.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 12:29
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Thanks for posting that again Jon. I had found that in an older thread on this topic after doing a search. One thing I'm not clear on is whether you remove the flanges from the hammer butts on actions where there is not a butt plate (as in the action that I am currently working on). I tried replacing the cords without removing the flange from the butt, but it is a pain in the butt, and all I do is get glue everywhere and yank out a cord that I just glued in. The butt flange friction resistance on this action is at best 1g, so IMHO, it is a fine that anyway that I am repining. But I'm just curious whether you manage somehow to do this job with in the flanges attached to the hammer butts.

Another area of questions is your comment about reshaping the hammers on either a drum sander or a spindle sander. I have always reshaped hammers by hand, so using some sort of sander would be new to me (but I'd sure like to try it!). I do have a drum sander thingee that I can put on my ShopSmith. I've not ever used a spindle sander, but have seen them - I know what they are. Many, if not most are oscillating spindle sanders. If you have used an oscillating spindle sander for filing hammers, do you find that the oscillating feature of the sander does a better job on the hammer felt than just a straight drum sander? Also, how to do you control the hammer as it gets ground by the sander - seems like there would be some potential of uneven sanding (actually, I'm just imagining ME trying to do that - YIKES!). Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 07:57
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

44 mm cord length: wrap the cord around a 14 mm or 9/16" dowel or some other material of such a dimension to get 44 mm when the cord is sliced along the length of the wrappings. Place masking tape opposite the cut to secure the cords.

This and other info is in this pdf of my procedure.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Terry,

On the recommendation of Jon and a couple of other respected techs several years back, I started reshaping hammers off the rail, first using a drill press with drum sander, then with Jon's spindle sander. Very good results can be achieved in short order, and the learning curve for most novices is significantly less than for reshaping hammers manually. If the hammers are off the rail for some other reason (typically, for addressing the pinning), this would be my reshaping method of choice.

It is true that a wrong move with power tools can quickly mess things up. But we have been teaching this method to novices for years, thousands of hammers reshaped, and have yet to have a single one rendered unusable. Shying away from this method for fear of the potential for things to suddenly go very wrong would be akin to choosing to walk rather than drive, because a wrong turn could take you farther away from your destination faster in a car than on foot.

Please try it on some hammers that are totally disposable and let us know what you think.

Alan

------------------------------
Alan Eder
Valencia CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 12:29
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Thanks for posting that again Jon. I had found that in an older thread on this topic after doing a search. One thing I'm not clear on is whether you remove the flanges from the hammer butts on actions where there is not a butt plate (as in the action that I am currently working on). I tried replacing the cords without removing the flange from the butt, but it is a pain in the butt, and all I do is get glue everywhere and yank out a cord that I just glued in. The butt flange friction resistance on this action is at best 1g, so IMHO, it is a fine that anyway that I am repining. But I'm just curious whether you manage somehow to do this job with in the flanges attached to the hammer butts.

Another area of questions is your comment about reshaping the hammers on either a drum sander or a spindle sander. I have always reshaped hammers by hand, so using some sort of sander would be new to me (but I'd sure like to try it!). I do have a drum sander thingee that I can put on my ShopSmith. I've not ever used a spindle sander, but have seen them - I know what they are. Many, if not most are oscillating spindle sanders. If you have used an oscillating spindle sander for filing hammers, do you find that the oscillating feature of the sander does a better job on the hammer felt than just a straight drum sander? Also, how to do you control the hammer as it gets ground by the sander - seems like there would be some potential of uneven sanding (actually, I'm just imagining ME trying to do that - YIKES!). Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 07:57
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

44 mm cord length: wrap the cord around a 14 mm or 9/16" dowel or some other material of such a dimension to get 44 mm when the cord is sliced along the length of the wrappings. Place masking tape opposite the cut to secure the cords.

This and other info is in this pdf of my procedure.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

I've been using my 6 x 48" bench belt sander w/250 grit and set up vertically for a long time. I put a small block of wood on the sander table as Jon mentioned. I'd always struggled with hand filing. With this it takes about 10 seconds per hammer and with the fine grit you can go straight to using the finer sanding strips even if the hammers were really bad to start with. I'm not sure removing the hammers on a grand and filing on a machine is that much slower as I can do in one pass and get good squared-up results. I have a spindle sander but it's reciprocating and I didn't like the way it felt. The one advantage a spindle sander might have is that it's cutting in the same direction as the felt fibers are laid out but with 250 grit I don't think that makes much difference. Like Jon and Alan, I've never wrecked a hammer, you just use a very light touch.
Like I said above, I include it with the silk loop jobs, it doesn't add much time at all and adds a lot of value to the job as well as giving one more control over lining up the hammers to to the strings.
For me, it's worth the extra time to get the results. And in the case of silk loop replacements the hammers are coming off the rail anyway.
I recently got this tiny belt sander for remote work. It seems okay but in the shop I think I prefer the big sander. The little one weighs 2.2 lbs and stands about 12" high. 


------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 16:18
From: Alan Eder
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Terry,

On the recommendation of Jon and a couple of other respected techs several years back, I started reshaping hammers off the rail, first using a drill press with drum sander, then with Jon's spindle sander. Very good results can be achieved in short order, and the learning curve for most novices is significantly less than for reshaping hammers manually. If the hammers are off the rail for some other reason (typically, for addressing the pinning), this would be my reshaping method of choice.

It is true that a wrong move with power tools can quickly mess things up. But we have been teaching this method to novices for years, thousands of hammers reshaped, and have yet to have a single one rendered unusable. Shying away from this method for fear of the potential for things to suddenly go very wrong would be akin to choosing to walk rather than drive, because a wrong turn could take you farther away from your destination faster in a car than on foot.

Please try it on some hammers that are totally disposable and let us know what you think.

Alan

------------------------------
Alan Eder
Valencia CA

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 12:29
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Thanks for posting that again Jon. I had found that in an older thread on this topic after doing a search. One thing I'm not clear on is whether you remove the flanges from the hammer butts on actions where there is not a butt plate (as in the action that I am currently working on). I tried replacing the cords without removing the flange from the butt, but it is a pain in the butt, and all I do is get glue everywhere and yank out a cord that I just glued in. The butt flange friction resistance on this action is at best 1g, so IMHO, it is a fine that anyway that I am repining. But I'm just curious whether you manage somehow to do this job with in the flanges attached to the hammer butts.

Another area of questions is your comment about reshaping the hammers on either a drum sander or a spindle sander. I have always reshaped hammers by hand, so using some sort of sander would be new to me (but I'd sure like to try it!). I do have a drum sander thingee that I can put on my ShopSmith. I've not ever used a spindle sander, but have seen them - I know what they are. Many, if not most are oscillating spindle sanders. If you have used an oscillating spindle sander for filing hammers, do you find that the oscillating feature of the sander does a better job on the hammer felt than just a straight drum sander? Also, how to do you control the hammer as it gets ground by the sander - seems like there would be some potential of uneven sanding (actually, I'm just imagining ME trying to do that - YIKES!). Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 07:57
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

44 mm cord length: wrap the cord around a 14 mm or 9/16" dowel or some other material of such a dimension to get 44 mm when the cord is sliced along the length of the wrappings. Place masking tape opposite the cut to secure the cords.

This and other info is in this pdf of my procedure.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

An oscillating spindle sander put on a finer finish than a drum sander. I may start with an 80 or 120 grit to speed things along. I might do a second, refining pass
with 180 grit. I leave the fine grit for 'polishing' by hand, single in the bass and tenor, gang filing in the treble.

I also made a pair of handles for gripping paper strips to 'shoe-shine' the hammers.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-09-2022 01:49
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

I've been using my 6 x 48" bench belt sander w/250 grit and set up vertically for a long time. I put a small block of wood on the sander table as Jon mentioned. I'd always struggled with hand filing. With this it takes about 10 seconds per hammer and with the fine grit you can go straight to using the finer sanding strips even if the hammers were really bad to start with. I'm not sure removing the hammers on a grand and filing on a machine is that much slower as I can do in one pass and get good squared-up results. I have a spindle sander but it's reciprocating and I didn't like the way it felt. The one advantage a spindle sander might have is that it's cutting in the same direction as the felt fibers are laid out but with 250 grit I don't think that makes much difference. Like Jon and Alan, I've never wrecked a hammer, you just use a very light touch.
Like I said above, I include it with the silk loop jobs, it doesn't add much time at all and adds a lot of value to the job as well as giving one more control over lining up the hammers to to the strings.
For me, it's worth the extra time to get the results. And in the case of silk loop replacements the hammers are coming off the rail anyway.
I recently got this tiny belt sander for remote work. It seems okay but in the shop I think I prefer the big sander. The little one weighs 2.2 lbs and stands about 12" high.


------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 16:18
From: Alan Eder
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Terry,

On the recommendation of Jon and a couple of other respected techs several years back, I started reshaping hammers off the rail, first using a drill press with drum sander, then with Jon's spindle sander. Very good results can be achieved in short order, and the learning curve for most novices is significantly less than for reshaping hammers manually. If the hammers are off the rail for some other reason (typically, for addressing the pinning), this would be my reshaping method of choice.

It is true that a wrong move with power tools can quickly mess things up. But we have been teaching this method to novices for years, thousands of hammers reshaped, and have yet to have a single one rendered unusable. Shying away from this method for fear of the potential for things to suddenly go very wrong would be akin to choosing to walk rather than drive, because a wrong turn could take you farther away from your destination faster in a car than on foot.

Please try it on some hammers that are totally disposable and let us know what you think.

Alan

------------------------------
Alan Eder
Valencia CA

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 12:29
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Thanks for posting that again Jon. I had found that in an older thread on this topic after doing a search. One thing I'm not clear on is whether you remove the flanges from the hammer butts on actions where there is not a butt plate (as in the action that I am currently working on). I tried replacing the cords without removing the flange from the butt, but it is a pain in the butt, and all I do is get glue everywhere and yank out a cord that I just glued in. The butt flange friction resistance on this action is at best 1g, so IMHO, it is a fine that anyway that I am repining. But I'm just curious whether you manage somehow to do this job with in the flanges attached to the hammer butts.

Another area of questions is your comment about reshaping the hammers on either a drum sander or a spindle sander. I have always reshaped hammers by hand, so using some sort of sander would be new to me (but I'd sure like to try it!). I do have a drum sander thingee that I can put on my ShopSmith. I've not ever used a spindle sander, but have seen them - I know what they are. Many, if not most are oscillating spindle sanders. If you have used an oscillating spindle sander for filing hammers, do you find that the oscillating feature of the sander does a better job on the hammer felt than just a straight drum sander? Also, how to do you control the hammer as it gets ground by the sander - seems like there would be some potential of uneven sanding (actually, I'm just imagining ME trying to do that - YIKES!). Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505

Original Message:
Sent: 06-08-2022 07:57
From: Jon Page
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

44 mm cord length: wrap the cord around a 14 mm or 9/16" dowel or some other material of such a dimension to get 44 mm when the cord is sliced along the length of the wrappings. Place masking tape opposite the cut to secure the cords.

This and other info is in this pdf of my procedure.

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

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 22:41
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

------------------------------
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/7/2022 10:41:00 PM
From: Peter Grey
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Wim,

For some reason I thought it was a 1/2" dowel...hmmm...been a while since I did it. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 20:21
From: Steven Rosenthal
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

What Paul said, you should ascertain whether it has butt plates or not, and adjust the labor accordingly.
I use new flanges but was not happy with the last set I got from Yamaha, they all needed to be reamed and they are using some black stuff like graphite that is unfriendly to using broaches. PianoTek's flanges are good.
I also file and shape the hammers, makes spacing to strings a lot quicker.

------------------------------
Steven Rosenthal RPT
Honolulu HI
(808) 521-7129

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 16:03
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

Replacing the spring loops on Yamaha hammer butts. This procedure ensures the hammer flanges stay on the rail so they won't need to be traveled or spaced.

Tools needed and prep steps.

Cross point screw driver, Flat blade screw driver, Small flat bade screw driver, Sharp knife, Glue, Masking tape, Shallow cup, (aluminum foil), Wood glue, Tweezers, ¾" 8" long wooden dowel. Roll of cloth string.

 

Before starting, tape one end of the cloth string with masking tape onto the wood dowel and roll it at least 40 times around the wooden dowel. Cut the string with the knife along one side of the dowel, creating 40 short pieces of cloth strings. Repeat this step for each section. (step 4).

 

Procedures.

Number and remove the dampers flanges.

Remove the damper stop rail.

Remove the hammer rest rail by removing the treble bracket hold the rest rail.

Loosen the flange screws on the hammer butts for one section. (Bass, middle or treble).

Remove the hammer and while it's attached to the bridle strap, hang the hammer on the strap, past the back check.

Remove any cloth loops still attached to the flange.

Using a hack saw blade, clean out the cloth loop slots

Squirt some glue in the shallow dish, or take some aluminum foil and create a small dish.

Pick up a piece of string and dip one end in the glue. I like to twirl the end of the cloth in the glue to get just a little on it.

Place the end with the glue in the slot you've cleaned out. You might need to use a finger to make the string stay in place. The string should cover the entire slot you've created with the hack saw blade.

Repeat step 10 until all the flanges have a piece of string.

Dip the end of the small screw driver into the glue, and dap just a little on the other slot of the flange. Repeat this for about 10 flanges.

Grab the loose end of the string with a pair of tweezers and put it on the slot with the glue on it. Use the tweezer to push the string down in the slot.

Repeat step 12 for 10 flanges, then repeat step 13.  Repeat until all the flanges have the strings in place.

Take one hammer at a time, put it on the flange and screw it down.

Attach the springs to the string loops.

Repeat steps 5 – 16 for the middle and treble sections.

Reattach the hammer rest rail

Reattach the damper stop rail

Reattach all the dampers.  

Original Message:
Sent: 6/6/2022 3:44:00 PM
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: RE: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It usually takes me 4-5 hours to replace just the loops. I typically take off every other flange / hammer butt so I can keep everything spaced properly. There's still a little work at the end, but less than if you take them all off at once.

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2022 14:43
From: Terrence Farrell
Subject: Yamaha Upright Butt Spring Cords

It's been many years since I last did a Yamaha upright butt spring cord replacement job. What kind of labor time is common for this job (bionic techs need not respond)? I notice that Joe Garrett does not have this procedure in his otherwise wonderful labor guide.

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Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
Brandon, Florida
terry@farrellpiano.com
813-684-3505
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