I've been so preoccupied over the past six weeks with house guests and bringing bad boy Yuri into the house, that Zelda has been neglected. Having lost my focus on her, I've also been feeling disconnected and at sorts with myself.
Today after chuch I decided to start working on the old girl again. Working on her brought about an improvement for both of us -- clarity is a word that I could probably apply not only to Zelda; but also myself after working on her all day.
The more I learn about her I understand (in contrast to Yuri) how incredibly well she's held up over the years. All my small adjustments yield dynamic results. Unlike her alligatored outer case, which needs attention, her innards are responding for the most part like a youngster. Her issues aren't so much repair as they are regulation.
The first step I took today was reshaping the hammers. After watching the Randy Potter tape on the subject for the umpteenth time, I took the plunge -- removing old felt that had been beaten down over the years the layers came off to reveal perfectly shaped hammers under the distortion of time.
Doing the work was both aesthetically and psychologically satisfying. It took about four hours (I'm still learning) to finish all 88 hammers; but the repetition of the work -- first rough sanding to reshape then fine sanding with strips of 350 emery cloth to polish each felt -- took on an almost meditative energy. Seeing the results as I finished each hammer was equally satisfying.
After finishing up the hammers I did a bit more preliminary regulating -- dressing up the knuckles of the hammer, then lubricating them. And finally, bringing all the hammers to equal alignment by adjusting the capstans. It's all about making the keys consistent in both response to the pianist's touch as well as having a clean, brilliant sound. And, oh by the way, there are about another thirty checks and possible adjustments to make.
Getting the hammers back into shape is a major change though; one that was immediately evident when I replaced the action late this evening. Everytime I think Zelda can't sound any better, she surprises me with her response. I was thrilled with the beauty of the tone and improvement in the touch.
Next step -- leveling the keys. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a good start on that tomorrow evening after work.
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