What specialty tools do I need if I'm going to restore a Rhodes piano?

[gilded]

What do you folks use for cutting tines, filing tines, installing, easing or tightening key bushings? What are your favorite razor blades (single edge, double, box cutter, etc.). How about nut drivers and so on?

What power soldering irons do you use when you are working around magnetic pickups, for instance?

What do you clean tines and tone bars with?

How about corroded pickup magnets? Dremels? With brushes or something else?

Thanks, Harry

I'm asking about the key bushings because my Suitcase 73 was played a lot, although not so much for the Stage 88.

[Pierre]

I'm currently restoring an 88. Make sure you have all spare parts like hammers, dampers, grommets, etc.. There are a number of sources for this, I got my stuff from Vintage Vibe. Not cheap, with shipping costs to Europe and then sales tax on import.

An electric screwdriver will help you a lot to remove the tonebar assemblies from the harp. I bought a set of wrenches as you will need good quality ones to unscrew the tonebar from the tine. There's quite a lot of force on those screws and you don't have a lot of leverage, being careful not to break the tine.

I sand down the tines with scotch brite. Seems to work well.

I haven't started on the pickups, but I plan to use a Dremel with a wire brush.

As for soldering, most fine tipped soldering iron will do. But normally you wouldn't need this, unless you have broken pickups that need replacing.

All in all, you don't need anything special. I bought a tuning tool from VV that came along with the road kit, but again I haven't used it yet.

If you want to replace key bushings, you can get all of that stuff from VV as well.

Let us know if you have more specific questions. Happy to help.

[David Aubke]

Shop Tips and Tricks

[voltergeist]

I see David posted a link to the Tips and Tricks thread while I was writing the response below.  Some of this post is redundant with that thread, some is not.

If you're replacing key bushings you should have bushing clamps (they come with VV's kit).  I ordered the full kit twice to have enough clamps so by the time I used all the clamps the glue on the first one is set enough to remove the clamp.  This way, I can keep going without stopping to let glue set.  If you're only planning to do one piano, one set of clamps should be fine.

I'm probably forgetting some stuff, and one could get by without some of the things on this list, but this list should provide a decent idea of what one would want to do the job efficiently and get a good result.   

-Electric drill/screwdriver definately
-Impact driver recommended for getting tonebar screws tight (a wrench won't get them tight enough)
-Nut drivers (they pretty much only differ in ergonomics and quality.  Mine are Kobalt from Lowes.  Kobalt isn't exactly a marquee name, but the quality is decent, priced reasonably, and ergonomics are good.
-As Pierre said, soldering iron with fine tip (switchable 15/30W is nice)  I keep mine on 30W generally, but one needs to be very careful to be quick, since applying too much heat will melt the plastic body of the pickup.
-Vise
-Bench grinder (you can find them cheap used.  Don't plan to file the tine ends - the ends need to be flat and you'll just waste your time with a file)
-Xacto knife and blades (I have a quick-release Xacto like the techs use at work that's much better than the typical Xacto where you screw the end to tighten in the blade) 
      -I buy Xacto blades in big 100 packs, and replace the blade as soon as it starts dulling
-I use abrasive pads (I forget the brand) to clean tines
-Don't waste your money on a tuning tool - just lift the harp and move the springs by twisting them with your fingers.  Just pluck the tine with your finger to get a tone.  I use a guitar pick to pluck the high notes.
-High quality scissor (I bought a brand-new high quality Fiskar scissor for Tolex, about $30.  DO NOT plan to use any old scissor for Tolex.  I don't remember the model, but the advertise it as "Our sharpest scissor".
-Tweezers (for positioning bushings)
-Caliper (for measuring tines, and most other things)
-Beeswax (use on wood screws and stainless machine screws)
-#3 phillips screwdriver/tip
-If you can afford it, a Peterson stroboscopic tuner with stretch tables (490-ST)
-Key easing tool (VV sells them)
-Small ball pien hammer (for aligning tine and tonebars, and general use)
-I'd recommend a ratcheting screwdriver, if you don't have one.  Stanley makes a very good one.
-A heavy-duty side cutter for cutting tines
-Contact cleaner
-Acetone and applicator bottle
-Box cutter (generally useful - also always keep a sharp blade in it)
-Small rollers and pans (for Tolex glue)
-Awl (for finding holes after re-Tolexing, and general use)

[Peter Hayes]

One of these for dealing with rail punchings:
http://www.vandaking.com/punching-lifter-s-158.html

One of these for cutting felt (dampers, etc.)
http://www.vandaking.com/s-279-hale-felt-cutter.html

A magnet on the end of a stick for getting whatever you drop back out of where you dropped it.

A dentist's mirror for seeing what you can't.

and one, or more, of these:
http://odellbrewing.com/beer/ipa/

[gilded]

Gentlemen!

Thank you so much for all the sage advice. It really makes me want to do a bang-up job refurbing these two pianos. I was going to make it a week end project for each Rhodes, but now I want to get the Right Tools and Do the Job Right.

I'm going to buy some refurb kits from Vintage Vibe, along with some other stuff like the bushing kit(s). Some of their pricing may be a little high for my current recession-hit budget, but I never would have gotten started on this trail if I hadn't run across their videos on youTube! Their easing/tightening tool looks pretty trick, but I don't know if I want to pay $40 for a tine cutter.

I have a Peterson's iPhone app. It's been the best tuner I have ever had. I will check and see if it does stretch tuning. I have an idea what that is, but I've never tried it before.

Mil Gracias, gilded

[Student Rhodes]

One of these for cutting felt (dampers, etc.)
http://www.vandaking.com/s-279-hale-felt-cutter.html

I just bought one.  Didn't know they existed. Was wondering how I was going to precision cut the felt cubes I need for a Franken Rhodes I'm doing.   Hope it cuts dense hammer felt....

Ray

[Peter Hayes]

Works like a charm on all types of felt.

[voltergeist]

Peter, do you mainly use it to cut your own damper felts?  Is it much cheaper to do than buying the VV sets?

[Peter Hayes]

Yes for dampers, but also for felt hammer tips like on the early models. I buy all my felt from Schaff Piano Supply. But, I do buy a lot of other parts from the good folks at Vintage Vibe.