[ Ref. Ben Roth in 230609 MMDigest ]

Ben, I have run into this problem too; I don't remember if it was
a Standard Action. A close investigation found the pivoting pins were
worn, as well as the connecting flat "rods." So I made some new pins,
but the rods had oval holes from wear. Now I have access to a lathe
and a mini-mill, so that's a little more than most folks, but I think
the task could be done with just a drill press.

I went down to our fairly well-stocked hardware store and found some
bronze bushings with the correct inside diameter for the pins, and
then I milled out the rods to a little under the outside diameter of
the bushings so I could press them in.

Lacking a milling machine, one could use a drill press and drill the
hole close to the right size. Fortunately the dimensions of the rods
are not super critical, so it probably won't matter if you end up
being as much as 1/8-inch off of the original.

You don't want the bushing loose in the rod so try to drill out the
hole to a press fit (like .0005-inch undersize). If you can't get it
that accurate you could use a punch and peen the hole after the
bushing is installed. (Careful -- you don't want to mess up the
bushing!)

On the piano I was working on, this repair solved the banging during
pedaling.  Oh, and I think the space the rods went into was wider than
the rod so I put felt washers on the sides (which also can serve as
an oil reservoir to lubricate the pin).

David Dewey
Oroville, California