Key friction

I have a year-old 6' Schimmel 182T that was recently regulated. The action has improved significantly but I still find it unresponsive. I thought little of it until a couple of days ago I tried a 15-year-old Yamaha (I do not know the exact model, but it was definitely about 5' only) that actually had a more responsive action!

I have come to notice that if my fingers do not strike the keys of my Schimmel exactly vertically, such that there is a resolved lateral force, I hear a soft sound that is similar to rubbing two pieces of wood together. It is not obvious unless I play softly, but it is consistently there in almost all keys unless my fingers strike the keys precisely straight down.

I assume there is some kind of friction at work here, but is it normal? Could this be part of the reason why the action on my Schimmel is so unresponsive? Any opinions will be much appreciated.

Yes, it's probably part of the reason your Schimmel is unresponsive.

As I have answered previously, this can a humidity related issue. It's really common that they react badly in this way to high humidity. Where are you located? Singapore? That's about as humid in the world as it gets. There are probably numerous places in the action with high friction as a result of high humidity. They keys most likely need to be eased, including the hole on the bottom center of the key. However the long term solution is a humidity control system. Singapore will never be piano friendly without it, and the close tolerances of a Schimmel make it moreso. It's a very fine piano in a punishing environment. And action sluggishness won't be the only problem. Wait till the rust starts.

I have heard, unfortunately, that Singapore is also lacking in knowledgable techs. You may have to take the solution into your own hands. Once again, I recommend viewing www.dampp-chaser.com. Maybe they know someone in Singapore. This isn't the pianos fault.

Regards,

Rick Clark

Hi Roxane,

I know you from the Piano Forum.

I also know you because of the piano you own.

You live in Singapore, truly one of the most relentlessly hot and humid tropical cities on the planet. I know, I've been there!

Repeat after me:

I must get a Dampp-Chaser I must get a Dampp-Chaser I must get a Dampp-Chaser I must get a Dampp-Chaser I must get a Dampp-Chaser

Enough kvetching already. You've been doing this ad infinitum over at the Forum. A Yamaha outperforming a SCHIMMEL? Ridiculous....



Warmest regards, Joy (who's not even a piano tech, but has learned much from many readings and rantings)

I'm not a tech, but I have 2-cents, anyway.

When my tuner/tech comes over (always the best days of the year) he almost always does a 'lube-job' on different parts of the action, including the metal posts directly under the keys (pardon my poor terminology). Different techs use different lubricants. One of my techs uses Elmer's 'Slide-All' quite generously, and it is quite all right for amateurs to apply it, as well. If you choose to do this sort of thing yourself, make sure some qualified tech gives approval (don't just go to the hardware store and ruin your action with WD-40!)

High humidity tends to reduce the sideways play of the keys, which would easily explain the friction problem but not the click. On my piano that click is the sides of a felted hole under the key hitting the metal post, and it is extremely quiet. In any case, the cheap and easy first thing to try is the lube job. If your click is loud enough to bother you then that is probably another issue.

I have heard some nasty horror stories from improperly installed dampp-chaser units. Even experienced techs can get it wrong, so proceed with caution!

Good luck!

Virtually any job in a piano can be botched and hurt something. One is either competent at the task or not. Dampp-Chaser installation is one of the easiest things a tech can do. Clear, easy-to-read instructions are included with each component. There is absolutely no excuse for botching. One would have to be willfully ignorant. Many more pianos are hurt much more frequently by incompetent techs botching other kinds of things, especially inexperienced or incompetent 'rebuilders', 'restorers', etc..

Nevertheless, there is a grain of truth in what you say. I have seen botched jobs, though in my humid climate I have yet to see damage caused by it, as they can never get the humidity down to the level where it can actually dry them too much, they just are not powerful enough to do that here.

Horror stories (if they are actually true) tend to be about people who installed just the dehumidifier rods (and not the humidistat needed to control them) in climates that go dry part of the year. (Without the humidistat, the rods are 'on' all the time, whether dry or humid. So in dry weather, it makes the piano even drier.) But these are clearly cases of stupidity.

The best thing to do is to check Dampp Chaser's website for 'Field Experts' in one's area. However, if one contacts a local tech who installs such systems on a regular basis, it's pretty safe. The most incompetent ones are the techs who are not real familiar with them and don't follow instructions. And you would not want to push techs who recommend against them into installing one, as they generally just don't know much about them, and are not interested in getting involved.

Most techs who take the trouble to become educated on the subject become very enthusiastic about them, as in many climates it is much more important to the long-term welfare of the piano than anything else a tech can do. I prioritize it over tuning.

Regards,

Rick Clark

Roxane,

A postscript to my note:

Perhaps it would help you to know that Rick Clark is a piano technician in south Florida, which has a climate as relentlessly humid and hot as yours. I suspect he knows what he's talking about.

Drop Kenny of the Forum a line. He had a D-C installed in his BB after careful consideration based on searching past postings here, and he's an engineer. He wound up seeking out every Rick Clark post on D-Cs he could find. He shared his findings on the Forum, and Niles Duncan concurred. Do a search there, you'll find his thread.

Of course, if you already have a mindset to use any old excuse to buy more expensive piano, that's another story.

Hope this helps!

Regards, Joy

PS: I hateWD-40. Ruins more stuff than it fixes.

Ah... Is THAT the problem? Well, I guess I'll have to use more of it in my cullinary masterpieces, then.

WD-40: It's what's for dinner!

Yum Yum!

It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping.