I recently acquired a 1927 Steinway XR Duo-Art at an auction (serial
number 257291).  It apparently was originally bought at one of the
Sherman Clay stores here in the San Francisco Bay Area and came to the
auction from a local estate.  The piano is in good condition for its
age.

The movers who delivered it were the same ones who had moved it from
its previous home.  They said that they were told that the piano hadn't
been used in years.  The hammers and dampers are clearly original but
seem to be in reasonably good shape.  The Duo-Art mechanism was
obviously restored sometime in the last 20 or 30 years.  Whoever
restored it seems to have done a god job: it "reproduces" remarkably
well, with a good dynamic range, though it clearly needs adjustment
and maintenance.

What printed material do I need to get?  It came with DA-1002, "Duo-Art
test roll No. 3", but no literature.

What can I do to help maintain and preserve the instrument?  Has there
been any conclusion to what the best substitute is for the "non-fluid"
oil that's supposed to be used in the Holtzer-Cabot motor?  (This was
a discussion on this group several years ago.)  What else needs to be
lubricated?

With the belly cloth removed, there is a noticeable periodic noise when
the motor is running.  I believe it's from the pump, but perhaps from
the belt as well.  The three-bellows pneumatic motor (to the right of
the spool box) which operates the rolls clacks a bit and there are
occasional squeaks during roll play and re-roll.

The spring device which is moved to place the rolls, and which then
holds the rolls in place, is sluggish and needs lubrication.  WD-40?
Graphite?  Sewing machine oil?  Grease?  I don't want to muck it up,
and I don't want cause unnecessary wear by operating the mechanism when
it needs to be lubricated.

One problem: part of its sustaining pedal linkage is damaged.
Specifically, it is the rocker arm on the bottom left of the instrument
(as you're seated at the instrument) operated indirectly by linkage
to the sustaining pedal and directly by the Duo-Art mechanism.  It's
slightly curved, about 10 inches long, with flat spoons (similar to the
head of a large flat screwdriver) on each end.  One end has a hole for
the pin in the dowel which vertically goes up into the instrument and
operates the damper lift rail.

Sometime in the past, probably during a move, the arm was bent up
towards the instrument so that with the pedal lyre and linkage attached
to the piano, the dampers are always held off the strings.  There also
seems to be a stress fracture right at the midpoint of the arm where
the pins lead at right angles from the rocker arm into their bushings.

Because I wanted to hear the instrument play rolls with the dampers
operating properly I temporarily solved the problem by removing the
pedal lyre.  (There is still play in the Duo-Art pedaling mechanism
so that I am assured that the dowel is not supported on it).

I believe the rocker arm can either be bent back into shape and/or
welded or that the set up can be jimmied one way or another by a
professional technician, but would prefer to replace the part entirely.
Would anyone happen to have such a piece in their collection of spare
parts and be willing to sell it?

Thanks for any advice or help,

Bob Smith