Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum If lubricating doensn't seem to help.

On a grand, less than 2 years old, about 2/3th of the keys produce faint clicks/ticks when slowly depressing the keys just before let-off.
This is of course only audible during soft playing, slow movements, onset of chords, one hand exercises..

The problem was diagnoticized as noise coming from the drop screw/drop leather interface.
The most heard solution - lubricating with teflon powder - was applied two times: NO success.

If you look at the drop leathers they all look the same in structure and texture.

You may say 'live with it' but the other 1/3th of the keys are as silent as can be, so why could not all be like that?

Any comments, suggestions?

Thank you,

schwammerl.

A tick at the drop screw is most likely to be that the drop screw itself is loose, or some other screw. Tighten all the flange screws, both for the hammers and wippens. Check that the drop screws are tight. Also check that jacks are centered in their slots, and that let-off buttons and screws are tight.

Can I do my lubricating joke again? Someone put sand in the captain's vaseline - "Ar, it be a rough passage t'night!" he exclaimed.

Thank you BDB,

Unfortunately -as otherwise it would be an easy fix-all screws are tight.

schwammerl.

What make piano? How old? I have seen a few newer high end pianos with Renner actions develop this problem. They were of the 2001- 2005 vintage. It is the the rep spring(only the wippens that have the butterfly style rep springs)causing the tick. As it starts to slide in the slot as the lever is compressed when depressing the key to the point of let-off, this tick will occur. Lubing the groove usually ends it, but on a few I've seen, no amount of lubing, cleaning or polishing springs and slots has helped.

What make piano? How old? I have seen a few newer high end pianos with Renner actions develop this problem. They were of the 2001- 2005 vintage. It is the the rep spring(only the wippens that have the butterfly style rep springs)causing the tick. As it starts to slide in the slot as the lever is compressed when depressing the key to the point of let-off, this tick will occur. Lubing the groove usually ends it, but on a few I've seen, no amount of lubing, cleaning or polishing springs and slots has helped.

If lubing the groove doesn't work, a post on the CAUT list said the coil of the spring can make a tick. Pull the spring out to the bass side. This should open the coil. Then spread the coil sideways to loosen the bind. If you adjust the springs pulling to the treble side, you bind the coil.
That's my guess

curry,

It's a 2007 Wendl & Lung 161 grand.
It has wippens with an auxilliary spring and a butterfly type wippen spring (not adjustable by a regulation screw).

see a picture in the link below (scroll down to the 10th picture):
http://homepage.mac.com/piano_tuner/Sell/PhotoAlbum204.html
This is not the action of my piano but from a 151; structure is however quite similar if not identic.
I suppose if it's the wippen spring it is not all that easy to lubricate the slot?

As a matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised if the wippen spring was involved. When e.g. you lift the hammer shanks off the wippen you hear some kind of 'spring noise'.

Also on SOME keys which produce that click when depressing the key immediately after the first stroke, the click disappears and comes back whenb you wait a few seconds before playing it again (but that is not the case on ALL keys involved).

schwammerl.

The springs are the problem. Exact similar description of all I've encountered. It goes away after playing the note/ notes and comes back later. It's not difficult to lube the rep slots, but on some I've seen, the problem always comes back. What Keith suggests also works 80% of the time.

Check that the tail of the spring in the jack is not too long.

Hey I know it's a bit of an aside,
but check out the damper levers (8th pic) - brass capstans underneath for easy setting up of the dampers relative to the rail, with spoons for adjustment to the keys.
I've played two W&L, and although the quality of finish was a bit disappointing, and despite really wanting to not like them, the action was tremendous. :-)
They've clearly put a lot of effort into the design.
Errr, except the springs apparently...

James,

Thank you for your comments.

I think however the damper levels are not involved as the clicks show up with the action slided out of the case.

schwammmerl.

Good one BDB. Some renner whips have had that problem.

Perhaps we mis-interpret "tick and click." Could be dry shank knuckles. Have you tefloned the knuckles? Or could be flanges. Did you CLP the action?

The "coil spring opening up" procedure as described by Keith worked fine on all but one keys!

One key needed extra cleaning and lubing of the slot and spring as curry suggested.

Many thanks to all contributors for their dedication.

schwammerl.

I was probably too optimistic.

The ticks disappeared indeed after aplying the above described procedure ..... but after the piano was one night asleep ...they came back.

It must be a structural charateristic of those action as it is now the second time this phenonemon showed up on two different instruments of the same brand/same model fairly new each time).

As the action is smooth now (also lubed the nuckles with teflon at the same time) I suppose the only way will be to live with it.

Thank you again.

schwammerl.

Sometimes, in older pianos, I realize this is a newer one, the grooves in the slots in the levers themselves where the spring goes can have a tick in it. That is to say, a slight "wear" spot. When the spring moves, it slides or jumps out of that spot which may be causing the ticking sounds. Could be a flaw right from the start too perhaps.

At any rate, wouldn't that be covered under the warranty anyway? You might have to replace the whippens otherwise, or jury rig something like a very thin piece of felt that could be slipped in there maybe? Try one and see if it works first.

I asked if lubing the coils worked and someone said lubing the coils with prolube worked on creaky wippen assist springs but they weren't sure if the fix was permanent.

Schwammerl,

The ticking came back? I am wondering if the coil is slightly too big (too much space inside of the circle) and is moving from one side to the other as the tension changes, causing a click. Also what Jerry just stated, I have found this problem with a spring in contact directly with wood. There was a rubbing or clicking sound. Thin felt fixed the problem.

I realize my comment doesn't shed any light on this situation, but isn't it almost beyond belief that in 2008 the piano community has to worry about clicks from springs sliding in wooden slots? ...and sometimes from "high-end pianos with Renner actions," no less! The guilty action manufacturers should hang their heads in shame. I bet this doesn't happen with Japanese actions, because the Japanese industrial practice of Kaizen catches and rectifies such things quickly