Acrosonic key cover removal

[Patrick Draine]

This morning I am confounded while trying to remove an early 1950s Baldwin Acrosonic key cover. The "pivot rail" ( improper terminology, sorry) extends under the case on the treble end, so removal seems mindlessly complicated. Any hints, my friends?

I know I've done this in the past!

Patrick

[paul bruesch]

It's astonishing to me that they made things that are semi-routine SO dang convolutedly and agonizingly painful... but what I've been known to do on these is to (tediously) remove the brackets that hold the cover to the rod and pull it off that way. 

I've been put in my place here in the past for saying this, but "Engineers don't work on cars."

Paul Bruesch

Stillwater, MN

[Paul McCloud]

Maybe remove the screws into the back of the fallboard? Leave the rail in place. Probably easier than to find and remove the screws for the rail.
Good luck.
Paul McCloud
San DIego

[Geoff Sykes]

Why make it complicated? The rod is anchored to the key bed with two screws on each side. Remove them and everything lifts out in one piece nice and easy.

[Joseph Garrett]

Geoff,

Not on all of them! There were certain models that are a royal bitch to get at. Sometimes I've had to remove the support/glides to get the mounting plates to slide out w/o marring the cheeks. I swear some piano case designers must have been Chinese Puzzlebox  Graduates!

Joe

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

[John Formsma]

That's what I have done at times for certain pianos. I suppose I haven't run into that particular Acrosonic yet.

-- 

John Formsma, RPT

Blue Mountain, MS

[Patrick Draine]

Baldwin's design geniuses were the ones who made it complicated. The rod isn't anchored to the key bed, but rather to the inner case sides (similar to more modern Baldwin spinets, consoles, and Hamiltons). Removing all the music shelf supports and fallboard/rod stop blocks usually gives enough space to slide the fallboard and rods out. Not in this case. The treble side rod has a case lip (flange? nomenclature again!) that traps the rod with no escape. In some cases pulling the fallboard and rods deeper into the case gets past the lip, but not today! I managed to get access to the keys by holding the fallboard high and easing keys and adjusting capstans below.

[Joseph Garrett]

A picture would be nice.<G> Please?

Joe

 

Joe Garrett, R.P.T.

Captain of the Tool Police

Squares R I

http://gpianoworks.com/

 

[tnr...@aol.com]

Remove the sides of the piano. :)

 

Anon

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Draine <jpdr...@gmail.com>
To: pianotech <pian...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Apr 22, 2013 4:27 am
Subject: [ptech] Acrosonic key cover removal

[Dale Erwin]

Yeah... With a chain saw 

Sent from my iPhone

[Ron Nossaman]

On 4/22/2013 1:10 PM, Patrick Draine wrote:
> I managed to get access to the keys by holding the fallboard high
> and easing keys and adjusting capstans below.

This is what I usually do whether it's possible to get the mechanism out
or not.
Ron N