Slightly more resistance at start of keystroke?

[craigd]

I feel like I'm getting a little more resistance at the start of the keystroke on the white keys than I did in the past. It is more of an annoyance, now that I've noticed it, than an actual hindrance to my playing.

Is this likely to be coming from friction at the rods? I've taken apart, cleaned and refelted a couple of keyboards, but not this one, my titano cosmopolitan. Is that a good starting point, to deal with this issue?

 

[John Doe]

I'd personally look for a slight grabiness from the pads under the pallets. Either slightly sticky, or the leather has taken the shape of the holes and the projections now embossed in the surface are slightly grabbing.

If sticky, you could gently drag a small strip of brown paper under the closed pallet (using its own spring pressure, not jamming it down with your thumb to get more effect), or - and I wouldn't even think about this until I was sure that the pallet pads were at issue- pulling all the keys and refluffing the nap of the leather with a small stiff brush.

Placing a strip of some very thin material under the pad- a strip from a plastic bag perhaps- and then trying the key to see if there's a difference in the hesitation might be one way to diagnose.

Good luck- Henry

 

[craigd]

I'd personally look for a slight grabiness from the pads under the pallets. Either slightly sticky, or the leather has taken the shape of the holes and the projections now embossed in the surface are slightly grabbing.

If sticky, you could gently drag a small strip of brown paper under the closed pallet (using its own spring pressure, not jamming it down with your thumb to get more effect), or - and I wouldn't even think about this until I was sure that the pallet pads were at issue- pulling all the keys and refluffing the nap of the leather with a small stiff brush.

Placing a strip of some very thin material under the pad- a strip from a plastic bag perhaps- and then trying the key to see if there's a difference in the hesitation might be one way to diagnose.

Good luck- Henry

Great ideas, thanks.

 

[debra]

What kind of friction do you experience? Is it like the pads sticking to the soundboard so once the pad is free the friction is gone? Or is it like there is friction part of the way, but not more at the start than just after? If the pad is sticking to the soundboard then it is unlikely that you can solve the problem without replacing the pads. If the friction is gradual during the key movement then something is rubbing somewhere, and disassembling and cleaning the keys, levers, axle, in short, everything, may help. It's a lot of work and it may not help at all if the problem is sticky pads...

 

[craigd]

Thanks for the reply Paul. The feeling of slightly higher resistance is at the very start of the keystroke. I will check the pads this evening, I'll try putting some paper under the pads to see if that changes the feel or not. I'll try to get a sense if there's any stickiness to the pads. Or as Henry suggested above, maybe the leather on the pads is entering the holes slightly and creating a bit of grabbiness.