I took a class on keyboard maintenance that pianist can do for their instrument. I pulled the action on the spinet we had and the baby grand I got later on. So satisfying to know I could take care of my piano and clean the key bed.
This was extremely helpful! I have a spinnet piano and ive been tryinf to re-voice it, but i had no idea how to remoce the action to needle the other half of the hammer felts. Thank you!
Great video! I've done almost every imaginable repair to a piano but never had the occasion to remove a drop action (I guess I was lucky!). I'm getting back into the business after a long layoff and if this ever comes up, I'll know how easy it is. Thanks for taking the time to make it.
Have you ever had a piano action that wouldn't go back into place? I have a piano student's family piano that will not go back into its original place, and I'm stumped on what to do. I'm fairly new to this profession, so any help will be appreciated.
@@rockyniz2594 I hope it's back by now, but for anyone else reading this my first guess would be the mechanism for the pedal posts is in the way. It can be easier to remove them or angle them out of the way and connect them afterwards.
I have a Cable-Nelson console piano with drop action keys and I've removed the action. Doing it again to make a minor repair. It's fairly straightforward to remove the action on a spinet but I think it's a bit of a tricky step to get the action back in. Everything has to be lined up just right and it's all somewhat heavy and awkward to handle. I do enjoy these videos.
Hello from Mexico City. I´ve been spending two days watching all your videos. Great material! I´m about to make some maintaiment to my Petrof piano. I´m a bit affraid to remove the action. I´m on my way to do it in order to adjust the screws because that clicking sound you mention on the videos. Wish me luck! :D
Hello again. I went step by step and achieve adjust the screws I need to. Thanks a lot! :) The dissasembly was really easy thanks to your advise and the video :D Regards from Mexico City. I´ll keep on watching your videos in order to keep my piano maintenance at full :D
What if the "rubber grommet" is actually wooden? I have found no videos and they dont seem to be for sale on your site? What should I do if one of them is broken?
Yes, removing an action on an Acrosonic is more difficult with the system they have with the lifter rods. If I ever get an opportunity to remove one of these actions I can do a video on it.
This is a really helpful video. I just received a Winter Company piano that has about 18 broken elbows which were made out of plastic and it looks like the ends of the elbows are secured into blocks with pins. Can you tell me what I might be able to do to repair all of these broken elbows?
Hi. I dropped a small rubber mute without a handle into a Wulitzer spinet. (It was 170 cents flat) Am I going to have to go through all of that to retrieve it? Or leave it and hope for the best? Sigh
Love your videos! Been trying to get my grandmas piano to play again, and I feel like that’s actually gonna happen now that I found these wonderful educational videos! The only thing is and idk if there’s some way of clarifying it for me but I have reason to believe the action board isn’t sitting right because the brackets sit A little bit on the threaded piece of the brackets or screw and only a little bit of the bolt goes on...other than that everything looks in good shape, can that possibly be the problem? Thanks you
Hi Thomas, The brackets should go to the back of the portion of the bolt that is threaded. There is always a section of the bolt that will be behind the action brackets. This is to keep the top of the action brackets far enough away from the plate.
Most lower frames are easily removed without removing any screws. At the bottom, the lower frame is resting in a slot, and at the top it is being held in place by usually one spring in the middle or two springs, one on each side. Press the spring, or springs up towards the keybed while simultaneously grasping the bottom frame and pulling it towards you. Once it is tilted at a 90 degred angle towards you, lift it out of its slot at the bottom. Howard Piano Industries
Hi Carl, Yes, taking a spinet action out is more work than a regular vertical piano, but taking careful steps will make the job not too hard. Taking an action out of a console piano takes about two minutes and taking a spinet action out might take 10-15 minutes or a little longer if you haven't done it before. The biggest thing you want to be careful of is when you're lifting the action out to not get those dampers caught on the action bracket posts or you'll be replacing a few damper felts. Ask me how I know. :)
Basically you would do this process in the reverse to put the action back in the piano. You'll need to keep the lifter wires secured while you put the action back.
OK thank you yeah this piano I’m wanting to get has been sitting in A storage building for six years it’s in really bad shape my piano technician said they do not want to work on it because it is a dropped action I have a video of the piano on my channel on Tanners pianos if you want to check that out
< Hello Howard ! Great video ! Felt very much at home. I contacted you a few months back in regard to a spinnet that was turning my hair grey. So far I have done what you have done in this vid half a dozen times out of intuition. My problem is that when I put the action back in the keys just get stuck and I have no visual to analyse what´s wrong. So...I´m looking forward for your *spinett action vid*. Actually I just covered the piano with plastic and bought an electric piano ! But I really want to get it to workhaPPy LiFe !¡!
I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you're having with the action. There are a couple of problems that may be happening when you put the action back in. You first want to make sure that the feet of the action brackets are in the right position. If they aren't properly setting on the posts for the action bracket it will put the action at a strange angle which will cause the problem you're having. You also want to check to make sure your jacks aren't too far back. If you have broken bridle straps the jacks will end up too far toward the back of the action when you put it back in the piano and will be pushing up on the bottom of the hammer butt felt rather than being in front of it.
how about those spinets which instead of the rubber grommets have a wooden bar with 88 holes on. It's so difficult to put the 88 lifter wires to fit in the 88 holes all together, when putting the action back in! Thank you so much Steve, you're the best and your videos are priceless
I have been tuning my brother's spinet for years, and only this week spotted 3 short random wires blocking a hammer in the middle register. I am the only person to work on it. No children around to drop things inside. They are smaller gauge than all the action rods elsewhere. I am determined to find the solution, so I guess I will learn how to remove the major actions. I am open to suggestions, please.
It sounds like these may be the hammer butt springs. They may have gotten moved out of position. They just need to be put back in place in the groove on the hammer butt.
You have to remove the action as this fellow has explained. You need a micrometer for the treble strings and a bass string gauge to get the exact thickness (#005-# 12). You cannot replace just one bass string because it will never sound right. Because one string is in concert pitch and the new string will stretch (a lot). If you do two they will stretch equally. Get the old one and make an exact size string to replace it. When the new string is in place, then and only then can you make a second facsimile string .Use a string stretcher to minimize number of repeat visits to eliminate stretching complications. At least one extra visit will be required to stretch new string(s) . It takes practice and clear headedness, but piano work is nothing more than 300 dumb jobs you need to know. Once you know them they will think you are a genius !
Re - action frame connected to keyboard , yeah English mini piano what a nuisance , had an un glued action part to put back in on a service call , makes it a damn long job the dis assembly process just keeps going , parts strewn everywhere.
Oh... well, maybe I should have chosen an old upright instead of a baldwin spinet for my first project piano 😅 Which, by the way, looks COMPLETELY different from this story and Clark:)
I took a class on keyboard maintenance that pianist can do for their instrument. I pulled the action on the spinet we had and the baby grand I got later on. So satisfying to know I could take care of my piano and clean the key bed.
This helped me fix a blessings spinet piano
Very, very good information..and free¡¡ THANKS¡
This was extremely helpful! I have a spinnet piano and ive been tryinf to re-voice it, but i had no idea how to remoce the action to needle the other half of the hammer felts. Thank you!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Great video! I've done almost every imaginable repair to a piano but never had the occasion to remove a drop action (I guess I was lucky!). I'm getting back into the business after a long layoff and if this ever comes up, I'll know how easy it is. Thanks for taking the time to make it.
Have you ever had a piano action that wouldn't go back into place? I have a piano student's family piano that will not go back into its original place, and I'm stumped on what to do. I'm fairly new to this profession, so any help will be appreciated.
@@rockyniz2594 is it an upright or a grand?
@@rockyniz2594 I hope it's back by now, but for anyone else reading this my first guess would be the mechanism for the pedal posts is in the way. It can be easier to remove them or angle them out of the way and connect them afterwards.
Thanks for this fabulous video! Removing the action from a spinet was a total mystery to me until I watched your video, which explains it so clearly.
Thanks for watching Evan. I'm glad you found this to be helpful.
I'll be taking the action out of an old Henry F. Miller piano later today because of this. Thank you for sharing!
I have a Cable-Nelson console piano with drop action keys and I've removed the action. Doing it again to make a minor repair. It's fairly straightforward to remove the action on a spinet but I think it's a bit of a tricky step to get the action back in. Everything has to be lined up just right and it's all somewhat heavy and awkward to handle. I do enjoy these videos.
Excelent explanations! Thank you very much
You are welcome!
Hello from Mexico City. I´ve been spending two days watching all your videos. Great material!
I´m about to make some maintaiment to my Petrof piano. I´m a bit affraid to remove the action. I´m on my way to do it in order to adjust the screws because that clicking sound you mention on the videos. Wish me luck! :D
If you just take it carefully step by step, it's not too difficult to remove the action. Especially if it isn't a spinet piano.
Hello again. I went step by step and achieve adjust the screws I need to. Thanks a lot! :) The dissasembly was really easy thanks to your advise and the video :D Regards from Mexico City. I´ll keep on watching your videos in order to keep my piano maintenance at full :D
Just inherited a spinet piano and this video has come in very handy
I have a 1950 Bremen console. I definitely needed this
What if the "rubber grommet" is actually wooden?
I have found no videos and they dont seem to be for sale on your site?
What should I do if one of them is broken?
We do have wood lifter buttons available on our website: www.howardpianoindustries.com/wood-spinet-drop-lifter-buttons/
very fine video, how about one on removing a Baldwin Acrosonic action?
Yes, removing an action on an Acrosonic is more difficult with the system they have with the lifter rods. If I ever get an opportunity to remove one of these actions I can do a video on it.
This is a really helpful video. I just received a Winter Company piano that has about 18 broken elbows which were made out of plastic and it looks like the ends of the elbows are secured into blocks with pins. Can you tell me what I might be able to do to repair all of these broken elbows?
Yes, the elbows are fairly easy to replace. Here is a video showing how to do this: th-cam.com/video/m1JGEcBw_S0/w-d-xo.html
Replace them all or you will get surprises probably sooner than later. Tom Lloyd www.mrtuner.ca
Very great video. I'm hoping to avoid doing this but if I have to I have your video to guide me!!
This was VERY educational. Thank you. Would you be able to tell me what the large screw in the center of the key bed is for?
That bolt is for securing a rail that goes across the keys.
Hi. I dropped a small rubber mute without a handle into a Wulitzer spinet. (It was 170 cents flat) Am I going to have to go through all of that to retrieve it? Or leave it and hope for the best? Sigh
Love your videos! Been trying to get my grandmas piano to play again, and I feel like that’s actually gonna happen now that I found these wonderful educational videos! The only thing is and idk if there’s some way of clarifying it for me but I have reason to believe the action board isn’t sitting right because the brackets sit A little bit on the threaded piece of the brackets or screw and only a little bit of the bolt goes on...other than that everything looks in good shape, can that possibly be the problem? Thanks you
Hi Thomas, The brackets should go to the back of the portion of the bolt that is threaded. There is always a section of the bolt that will be behind the action brackets. This is to keep the top of the action brackets far enough away from the plate.
How do you get the front off from under the key bed? I have a 1929 Lester upright that has a few broken elbows I need to replace.
Most lower frames are easily removed without removing any screws. At the bottom, the lower frame is resting in a slot, and at the top it is being held in place by usually one spring in the middle or two springs, one on each side. Press the spring, or springs up towards the keybed while simultaneously grasping the bottom frame and pulling it towards you. Once it is tilted at a 90 degred angle towards you, lift it out of its slot at the bottom. Howard Piano Industries
very Good Tutorial
Thanks very much! I know what to do now, but it looks like a big job!
Hi Carl,
Yes, taking a spinet action out is more work than a regular vertical piano, but taking careful steps will make the job not too hard. Taking an action out of a console piano takes about two minutes and taking a spinet action out might take 10-15 minutes or a little longer if you haven't done it before. The biggest thing you want to be careful of is when you're lifting the action out to not get those dampers caught on the action bracket posts or you'll be replacing a few damper felts. Ask me how I know. :)
I like this video...compliment!
How do you put the action back in the piano
Basically you would do this process in the reverse to put the action back in the piano. You'll need to keep the lifter wires secured while you put the action back.
OK thank you yeah this piano I’m wanting to get has been sitting in A storage building for six years it’s in really bad shape my piano technician said they do not want to work on it because it is a dropped action I have a video of the piano on my channel on Tanners pianos if you want to check that out
Thanks for the great video, very well explained, now I can fix a couple sticky keys :)
Thanks for watching! It's good to hear that this video has been helpful.
Glad to know what my piano is facing with a full hammer overhaul, it apparently should have been done 25 years ago before we bought it.
< Hello Howard ! Great video ! Felt very much at home. I contacted you a few months back in regard to a spinnet that was turning my hair grey. So far I have done what you have done in this vid half a dozen times out of intuition. My problem is that when I put the action back in the keys just get stuck and I have no visual to analyse what´s wrong. So...I´m looking forward for your *spinett action vid*. Actually I just covered the piano with plastic and bought an electric piano ! But I really want to get it to workhaPPy LiFe !¡!
I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you're having with the action. There are a couple of problems that may be happening when you put the action back in. You first want to make sure that the feet of the action brackets are in the right position. If they aren't properly setting on the posts for the action bracket it will put the action at a strange angle which will cause the problem you're having. You also want to check to make sure your jacks aren't too far back. If you have broken bridle straps the jacks will end up too far toward the back of the action when you put it back in the piano and will be pushing up on the bottom of the hammer butt felt rather than being in front of it.
this is great fun
how about those spinets which instead of the rubber grommets have a wooden bar with 88 holes on. It's so difficult to put the 88 lifter wires to fit in the 88 holes all together, when putting the action back in! Thank you so much Steve, you're the best and your videos are priceless
Yes, many of the Acrosonic spinets have that. I only took one of those actions out once. I won’t do it again if I can help it.
The bar comes out along with the action so the stickers don't have to be individually managed.
I have been tuning my brother's spinet for years, and only this week spotted 3 short random wires blocking a hammer in the middle register. I am the only person to work on it. No children around to drop things inside. They are smaller gauge than all the action rods elsewhere. I am determined to find the solution, so I guess I will learn how to remove the major actions. I am open to suggestions, please.
It sounds like these may be the hammer butt springs. They may have gotten moved out of position. They just need to be put back in place in the groove on the hammer butt.
@@howardpianoind very good, thank you. (I wonder how they moved out of position?) Can it happen again in a few years?
how do i fix a broken string on a spinet piano
You have to remove the action as this fellow has explained. You need a micrometer for the treble strings and a bass string gauge to get the exact thickness (#005-# 12). You cannot replace just one bass string because it will never sound right. Because one string is in concert pitch and the new string will stretch (a lot). If you do two they will stretch equally. Get the old one and make an exact size string to replace it. When the new string is in place, then and only then can you make a second facsimile string .Use a string stretcher to minimize number of repeat visits to eliminate stretching complications. At least one extra visit will be required to stretch new string(s) . It takes practice and clear headedness, but piano work is nothing more than 300 dumb jobs you need to know. Once you know them they will think you are a genius !
I worked on one with wooden grommets... Uhh. Some were cracked
No good!
Re - action frame connected to keyboard , yeah English mini piano what a nuisance , had an un glued action part to put back in on a service call , makes it a damn long job the dis assembly process just keeps going , parts strewn everywhere.
This sounds like Saul Goodman if he turned to piano maintenance instead of the law.
One time I took keys out of a spinet for cleaning and I got the keys mixed up, it was a puzzle to put it back together!!!!😂😂😂😂
Oh... well, maybe I should have chosen an old upright instead of a baldwin spinet for my first project piano 😅
Which, by the way, looks COMPLETELY different from this story and Clark:)
Yes, some of the Baldwin spinet actions are more difficult to remove than the standard style spinet action.
I dropped my spinet on its back you know what I did ?? NOW THE KEYS ARE FLAT ANYONE ??
possesses nice
Saul Goodman repairs a piano! :)