{"id":686,"date":"2017-04-28T22:20:05","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T22:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/?p=686"},"modified":"2017-08-27T17:39:38","modified_gmt":"2017-08-27T17:39:38","slug":"weber-piano-action-rebuild-keyframe-with-refurbished-keys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimkerkhoff.com\/test-roycreekranch\/2017\/04\/28\/weber-piano-action-rebuild-keyframe-with-refurbished-keys\/","title":{"rendered":"Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Keyframe with Refurbished Keys"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been making progress on the Weber Project, but with a trip to New Mexico and various Spring activities, the pace has lagged. We’re back on track though.\u00a0I mentioned in the last post<\/a> that more work was needed on the bushings — they were too tight for the keys to move freely in the keyframe. This was because I had used too much material in each mortise, and it was binding. Initially we thought I might be able to cut some of the excess material away, but after struggling with it for a while, I decided to remove the new bushings and start over. Since I had done it once already it should\u00a0go faster, and I wanted them to be right. With reasonable care and a little luck, they might not need replacement\u00a0for another 100 years!<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>

Applying Windex to the bushing felt<\/p><\/div>\n

This time I used the Windex method to remove the bushings instead of steaming them out. Taking a section of keys and clamping them together, I used a craft glue applicator<\/a> to dose each bushing with a little Windex. It\u00a0dissolves glue in\u00a0a few minutes, and they pull out easily. This is\u00a0much faster and easier than using steam.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

It helps to clamp the keys together<\/p><\/div>\n

Bushing thickness varies from piano to piano, determined by the mortise and pin sizes. We found\u00a0that two pieces of bushing felt (one for each side of the mortise) should be .072 inches. I had used all of the .036 inch bushing felt in my first attempt, so we decided to substitute two uneven sizes: .045 and .027 — totaling .072 inches. The other main difference with the first attempt was making each bushing as long as the width of the mortise — about 1\/4 to 3\/8ths of an inch. With the keys clamped together just like the removal process, the installation went very fast. I could complete 20 keys, both balance rail and key pin mortises, in about an hour. What a difference a little practice makes!<\/p>\n