bouncing hammers

[Newton Hunt]

Of all the answers I read I like the balance rail bouncing and hammers
not checking well.

With the action in your lap put a hammer into check and tap it down.  It
should not move down unless under severe tapping.  Put it in check and
see how much pressure it takes to move it out of check.  If the heels
are glazed then use some 80 grit paper to remove the glaze.

With the action in place knock on the balance rail with your fist while
a finger of the other hand lightly touches the bottom of the key and the
front rail.  If there is any movement here at all you can sense it and
will indicate lack of proper bedding.

Check to make sure there is adequate after touch.  If there is and the
rest of the regulation is at specs, the pinning is proper for every pin
in the train then further intense analysis is called for.

> The whippens have the helper spring on them.
> I screwed around with that a bit with no difference.

The springs are NOT for changing any regulation and will not effect
action performance in the gross sense.  Those springs should be set to
just lift the weight of the WIPPEN (not whippen) and then the touch
weight modified and the final micro adjustment of touch weight made
through adjusting the spring tension of the helper springs.

If you are indeed measuring up weight of 20 grams and down weight of 50
grams you have other problems, not bouncing hammers, friction being
one.  Give us more numbers and we can tell more about the action.

Also think on this, elasticity and resilience are desirable qualities of
felt.  Felt will not perform well with out the two together.  That being
said there are limits you can expect those materials to perform if the
action is played improperly.  A certain amount of "bounce" is essential
but "bounce" can be increased by certain techniques that are not real
musical.  Certainly very modern music can challenge any piano beyond
design parameters.  In other words, trash a piano in no time at all.

Pianos are 19th century devices not at all suited for most 20th century
type noise.  IM not so HO.

So, if the entire action is _perfectly_ regulated the next step is to
analyze the geometry, then do whatever is needed to bring the action
back into compliance.  As 7of9 says, "You will comply".

As for the hammer rest rail, when the hammers are at their optimum
height the rail felt should be 5 to 6 mm below the shanks.  A little
less is ok, more is not.

So, back up to the beginning, one step at a time, go through the
regulation and verify each adjustment.  This should help find the
problem.  Knowing the exact problem is it's own solution.

		Newton