Dead top end

[A440A]

John wrote:
>The new hammers were bored such that I can't get the hammer blow down to
>7/8" as called for, because the rest rail is already bottomed out. Does
>this necessitate new hammers?
    No,  just plug the holes with old hammer shank, cut flush, and rebore.
The older tapered shanks make great plugs, and I do use a very hard glue to
plug them with. 

>If I also require new shanks and flanges, what is the best method of
>finding the best hammerline from scratch, because I can't depend on the
>old ones to copy. 

    I really like the hammer to be 90 degrees to the shank and string upon
contact, but this is not always possible. Sometimes, it is all you can do to
have the hammer and string meet at right angles, but the hammer and shank are
not.  
    Hang a variety of hammer borings on a shank, all at right angles to it,
with a line on either side of the hammer. Then try them in the piano,
measuring the angle between string and hammer until you know the boring length
that gives the closest  to 90 degrees. Strings often have quite a rise to the
bridge in the treble, if so, you will have to compromise somewhere, or you may
find you have extremely short boring distances and the shank will be way up
high off the rest. 
    After finding the closest boring and/or angle that gives the best
hammer/string contact, you can find the strike point by trial and error/
listening.. 
Good luck/glueing, 
Ed Foote 
(:)}}} 
(fresh out of tornados 'round here)