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« on: July 21, 2020, 04:08:52 PM »
TC,
I have exactly what you need.
I have the remains of a c.1973 Rhodes action: 73 Pratt-Read full-skirt keys on a keybed, wooden action rail with half-wood hammers, bridle straps, individual damper arms, and tooth-root damper felts.
It is missing the harp, missing case, missing balance rail felts and front rail felts, missing the name rail, and strangely missing the wooden support for the action rail (the strip of wood that goes between the keybed and the action rail). I think I have the cheek blocks too.
The action is now clean, but still needs some work. The balance and front rail pins were rusted, and have been sanded down. They are not as smooth as ideal. About 22 of the keys stick (they don't return on their own volition), and need to have their sides sanded down until they no longer touch their neighbors. (Two keys at the bottom, two keys in the middle, and then nearly every single key in the top two octaves.) This means that the action was exposed to water, and the keys are warped (or maybe just swollen?). However, every single key looks perfectly straight when removed from the action. I think they all work when I remove the neighboring keys, but I should test that to verify. Every key pedestal seems to mate with the key above just perfectly, so I don't think this action is too far gone.
Where on planet earth are you? Toronto? I am in USA, near Washington DC. Send me a PM with your email and phone number.
Sean
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