Bridle Replacement Question

[abelovesrhodes]

Hello,

I picked up a fairly beat up 73 Rhodes Instructor Model Piano last month (Model: fr-7055, March 1970) and am mid-restoration. Besides tuning and cleaning and the basics, it also needed two new tines, and a bridle strap replaced. I replaced and retuned the new tines easily enough, and used a vintage vibe video to guide me in the replacing of the bridle strap.

In the video, they appear to be using one of their plastic hammers, which appears to snap in and out. My hammers are the original wood hammers. I replaced the bridle, but now my hammer is out of alignment, and often strikes in between the two tines, getting stuck.

To be clear, I:
Unscrewed the hammer.
Removed the old bridle from the hammer.
Removed the old bridle from the metal damper piece.
Inserted the new bridle
Glued it in per the video
Placed the hammer and reconnected the bridle to the metal damper
Re-screwed the hammer.

To my knowledge, the hammers don't click in and out, should they? Am I missing something?

Thanks!

[squarebubble]

All that has happened I think is that you haven't seated the hammer flange properly before screwing it down. You must have screwed it down at an angle. Take out the screw and try again.

[David Aubke]

All that has happened I think is that you haven't seated the hammer flange properly before screwing it down. You must have screwed it down at an angle. Take out the screw and try again.

I agree that something went wrong in reinstallation. I can't figure how the bridle strap could cause the hammer to move out of alignment. But I also can't imagine how you'd mismount the hammer flange. The flange and action rail are keyed to each other to lock the flange at the proper orientation. You'd have to try hard to mount the flange incorrectly.

Hybrid wood and plastic hammers snap into their individual flanges the same way newer hammers that mount to octave "combs" do. On my last piano, the plastic was so brittle that I couldn't mount or dismount them without snapping them but in general, they work the same way. Is it possible the hammer is not snapped-in properly?

Can you provide any pictures?

[pianotuner steveo]

I agree also, bridle strap replacement can not cause this. It's a hammer alignment issue.

[abelovesrhodes]

Thank you all for your attention in chiming in.
I am a fool. I unscrewed the hammer, and it was loose in the Hammer Hinge.
Upon close inspection, one of the hammer's nibs that goes in the hinge had snapped.
I have ordered a new one. Also: I was incorrect, I have wood/plastic combo hammers.
I will chime in once I get a new hammer and replace it.

[pianotuner steveo]

It's a pretty common part to break, especially after 40+ years.