Tom Rush rote, 1/15/96: <<How do you do the dampers next to the plate struts? Even lifting the stop rail doesn't really give enough clearance for these, at least in my experience. It's hard to turn them without damaging the felt.>> This is where you turn the damper head completely vertical (--the wire is threaded into the head as well as the underlever). As you turn the damper wire into the correct depth at the underlever, you may still have to scrape by the plate strut and the neighboring damper head. But Heck, I've seen rats get through smaller openings..... Rob Edwardsen rote 1/15/96: <<Another option is to replace the entire system with a damper underlever kit from Renner USA. ..... I'm not sure it would work, but I would certainly look into the possibility if it were my job.>> No it won't, you won't see a Chickering with damper lever square to the assembly until the point where Aolean started to put the Chickering name on Knabe scales (sometime in the '30s). Your back action has fanned underlevers (spreading outwards to meet the fan of the keyboard and top action). The underlever flanges must be mounted horizontally. Let me know when you've accomplished this on the Rennner replacement back action. Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapt. "You'll make more money selling my advice than following it" Steve Forbes, quoting his father, Malcom.
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