ed carwithen writes: > Owner asked if I could make the touch any lighter. I said "Sure, No > Problem!!!!"> Ok, now how do I do that? The dampers are already lifting at about > half blow. It does seem somewhat sluggish. Please give me your best advice.. Ed, . It is either a design problem or a service problem (I'm assuming the action is in good regulation). If it is a service problem, simple downweight/upweight tests, even with cheesy supply house weights, will differentiate quickly between excess weight and excess friction. If measurements show that it is friction, you can chase it through the action, front to back, checking each friction point in turn, and cleaning, using standard lubricants such as Teflon, or repinning as appropriate. If after systematic friction reduction, friction is still too high, more sophisticated tests are available to determine if the friction comes from a design flaw, such as parts not meeting in the most efficient way, but this is less common, at least to this degree. If the weight is still too high (for instance, if (D+U)/2>40gms on middle C), it is possible the hammers are indeed too heavy. Again, there are sophisticated systems for checking out the design, but there are some quick and dirty checks. For instance, set the blow on one note at 1and 3/4", and the letoff at 1/16". Set the aftertouch at .050" by putting something that thick under the front rail punchings [like a .050" punching or a slotted piece of ivory] and add punchings until the hammer just barely lets off. Measure the dip. If it is 9.5mm or less at the front of the key, the action doesn't have much leverage and will not tolerate heavy hammers. If it is 10mm or more, the action has higher leverage. Look at the leads in the keys. If the lowest C has more than four, or middle C has more than three, it might be an indicator that the builder tried to use heavy hammers for one reason or another, and to counterbalance it with lead. The result is inertia, the increasing resistance with faster playing. If you have a digital gram scale, take off middle C and weigh it, shank and all. If more than 15 grams, and if the hammers look bulky or untapered, that might be a clue that you need to go further with weight assessment. You can pop the heads off C4 and C0 and weight them. Eight grams would be heavy for C4, and 9.5 or 10 for C0. Or weigh the strike weight per David Stanwood's methods. His standards for suggested hammer weight are posted at his web site. If you don't have a digital gram scale and are doing much grand work, save your pennies. They're indispensible for higher-level work. There is considerable discussion of this kind of action assessment, both in the archives, and in past Journals. There is certainly more to this, and to developing subtlety of judgment in determining what to change when you get past the routine service, but it is where the real satisfaction lies, and well worth diving into! Good luck, and write back if you have more information or questions. Bob Davis Stockton, CA
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