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The AO on this 6 footer is being pinched on the left side by the left cheek block causing it to not operate. customer says its because her son got a little rough with the pedals and knocked a lyre brace out. After re-installing the brace and adjusting both braces to proper tension, the problem still was present. Next I observed that both the sostenuto pedal rod and the support rod that fell out have a slight bend in them(and i mean ever so slight). So i lengthened the rod for the sostenuto pedal which shifted the action to the right letting some light down the left side of AO so it can operate. The ?QUESTION? is; What about the space that is now left between the action stop block? Shouldn't THE ACTION STOP be whats holding the action away from the edge of the cheek block? Among other things?

respectfully,

Anson Everitt
PTG assoc
world observer

Piano is approx. 15 yrs old and was recently moved from Oregon to Utah(arguably THE best climate for pianos), yet a little drier than Oregon. Maybe a lot drier.

Reads like the stop block has moved, along with the bending of trap work rods. Would take quite a bit of force to do that. I would have a look around inside too as there may be other damage. Possible damage to the sostenuto lever or set pins.

I would take the rods out and set the action and stop block so they operate correctly; then straighten the rods as best you can, replace and adjust. You might need to build up the stop block a bit Anson because of shrinkage from the difference in climates.

Of course the visit to the woodshed with the former pedal operator is something that has to be completed by the client.

Oh! Brother Dan! Thank You!

I wondered if shrinkage might be involved. May I ask how you would recommend building that block up? Would it be prudent to remove the thinner felt it is covered with and glue on a thicker piece?

Anson

Well,

First get the action out and have a good look at the sos lever that drives the action laterally. The pins that hold it in place could be damaged or bent and perhaps the lever is not allowing the action to travel all the way back to resting point.

If you have to build the block up I would add a hard quality felt that will not compress very much. Action cloth comes to mind immediately or perhaps a piece of buckskin or buckskin felt. Whatever is on the block now leave it there.

Thank you kind Sir!

Your response and advice is greatly appreciated. Also , many thanks for sharing so many great things on your blog.

I enjoy it immensely!


Anson

Good to see you posting once again Anson. We have not seen you here for some time; I hope all is well there.

Let us know if you have any more observations about the Seiler. From the models I have come across they are nicely made machines.

Thanks for the comments about my blog. I must get back to the blog as I have been a bit negligent in posting there.

I can't see how knocking out a lyre will change the action stop block. It does not sound like the binding key problem is related to the lyre issue.

Pull the action, inspect the key frame for anything unusual.
Look at the stop block. Has the cloth covering become worn or damaged or is it scraped off? If so replace it with high quality cloth of the exact thickness required.

If the stop block, the action and key frame are all OK, I would loosen the stop block and shim it out 2 mm with some cardboard. Test the action - if it works that may be all you need.

Final check may involve careful hammer spacing and string mating though, as well as shift pedal regulation.

"...customer says its because her son got a little rough with the pedals..."

Customer is getting dangerously adept at minimizing her son's misdeeds. I could suggest she view any of the current crop of television shows, which reveal what things are like inside the nation's prisons.

There was a very touching scene on one of these the other day, which featured a mother visiting her young son, age 19, who was just starting an 8-year sentence. His cellie is a repeat sex offender, but the son hasn't found this out yet. Maybe in the next episode.

Maybe the piano repair bill will be that dash of cold water in the mom's face, so that she might wake up from her hypnotic trance in time. A Seiler is too nice a make to let the kids kick it to kindling wood.

Before proceeding, check hammer/string alignment. If it was correct originally, their offset will tell you how much to shim the rest block at the left side. It may take two business cards or a thick piece of cardboard inserted between the block and case. Also check the alignment of the key end and underlever. So between the hammer spacing and underlever alignment, you may need to shim some and respace the hammers in order to have the underlever in the optimal location.

A lot of great replies. Thank you. This block seems to be glued on so I'm not too excited about removing it to shim it out. The felt is still like new since the piano hasn't been played much and the hammers are all out of alignment(prolly since the day it left the showroom floor(sorry, i haven't much faith in dealers)). I didn't observe well enough the condition of the key frame itself nor the situation in and around the underlever. There still may be clues for me there. It is a nice instrument with a mellow euro-tone. In need of a full regulation for sure though.

I had a similar problem with a Seiler 206 after it was moved. Turns out that there is some "wiggle room" in the cheek blocks. Loosen the screws on the blocks and adjust so they don't bind.