[CAUT] Action Rail Flange Cloth

[Ron Nossaman]

David Love wrote:
> It's not really like the original which is more like braid
> and not stuck down.  The unique shape of the action rails
> sometimes creates stability challenges if the hammer shanks
> need to be slightly off from an ideal 90 degree arrangement
> (hard to believe but can happen).  The sandpaper
> arrangement is not uncommon to many well made pianos whose
> hammer flange rail is more amenable to fine lateral
> adjustments.  Sandpaper on these rails makes it just a bit
> easier and stable and there is no downside.  Of course, it
> does deviate from the genuine Steinway parts philosophy.

Is there a hammer rail in any production piano on the planet 
that's more resistant to, and prohibitive of otherwise simple 
alignment adjustments than is Steinway"s tubular action rail? 
I'm sorry, but this isn't a routine technical challenge so 
much as a fundamental design failure that the field tech has 
to overcome to take responsibility for making the thing work. 
As such, you do what you can to make it work acceptably within 
the constraints of budget and artistic license. Or you build a 
whole new action.

Ron N