Dear List: I have a customer with a recent (approx. 5 years old) 6' 10" Schimmel grand. They've been resistant to suggestions about climate control but one of their sons is pretty serious about piano, so he's complaining to the parents (not just me) about the heavy touch. It hadn't seemed too bad earlier, but after a summer with a very pronounced heat wave/extreme humidity, the downweight is very high (70 g), and individual hammers only swing 1-2 times on the swing test. Some of these hammers don't look too bad on my inexpensive gram resistance gauge, though. They're immigrants from Taiwan so they don't think New England is humid, and generally have all the windows open on the most humid days. I've tuned pianos in Taiwan, so I understand where they're coming from, but the Schimmel ain't prepared for such humidity. What's the consensus on the best way to deal with high friction in Renner hammer flanges? Are liquid solutions "out" because of Renner's usage of graphite in the center felt? Would the best protocol be to place the action in hot box to drive the excess moisture out, and then see what I'm dealing with? If this were an older piano I would probably start with a Protek treatment, then repin using the Mannino broaches. Is there a factory rep available to consult on "Schimmel authorized procedures?" TIA, Patrick PS There's a fair amount of friction in the keys too -- I'll need to polish & lube the pins, probably need to ease the br hole, and iron some key bushings
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