Kimball Action

[Joseph Alkana]

"Bill J. Barber" wrote:

> I was recently called to review a donated church piano (Kimball 5'9" grand),
> to determine the amount of work it needed.  Hammer reshapeing, voicing, some
> regulation, and keybushings are all in order(some suprise!) .  However, the
> action is impossible to remove from the piano; the hammers catch on the
> pinblock about a quarter of an inch below the crown.
>
> It would appear that the action was placed into the cavity, the hammer line
> raised, and the hammer rest rail raised support the shanks.  In my haste, I
> failed to measure the blow distance to determine if it was anywhere close to
> correct, but the action seemed to play OK, with a reasonable amount of
> aftertouch.
>
> The lower support nuts on the rest rail are hexagonal, in very tight
> quarters, but are accessible.  I am not sure how well a wrench will work to
> drop them down.  I am hoping that once it is lowered, I will be able to
> finaggle the hammers past the pinblock without lowering the hammer line.
> Any suggestions?
>
> Bill Barber, RPT

Bill,
I just ran accross a Baldwin grand with a similar problem. Hmmmm, are you and I
following a tech with devious thoughts and deeds? <G>
I was able to start at the treble end and using my sanding paddle  laid accross
the hammer shanks and then using a screwdriver to push in the middle hard enough
to lower the hammer shanks into the rebound rail enough so I could use my other
hand to start the action out of the cavity. I then transfered the set up to a
lower area and did the same thing, slowly working the action out. Clear as mud,
eh? Call me if you don't understand. Hope it works for you!

Joseph Alkana  RPT