Even balance weight or even something else, that's thequestion.

[Bill Ballard]

At 10:41 AM -0400 4/22/03, John Hartman wrote:
>I don't' think you can get an even inertia in the action from bass 
>to treble unless you make the hammers the same mass. Or compensate 
>for the mass difference somewhere else. I don't think getting the 
>action to have the same inertia in the bass and treble is the point. 
>Getting it even from note to note and not making it excessive would 
>be the objective.

So why wouldn't Rick Baldassin's trick work The heavier weight of the 
bass hammers are applied to the capstan, which is on the far side of 
the key. If what you're looking for is that the total weight on 
either side of key #88 (FW + back leading + Top Action Weight) be the 
same as on key #88. And this could be set up to maintain a constant 
BW. Of course, there would be the small matter that the extra weight 
on the backside of #1, when reproduced on key #88, had simply been 
moved from hammer #1 to the backleading on key #88. The inertia and 
the gravity might be the same, but note #88 would behave a little 
differently considering that key #88 lacked the coupling of key #1, 
where the weight was sitting on the capstan and residing in the parts 
above.

That could be taken care of be wrapping 6g (or whatever specified 
amount) of lead solder wire around hammershank #88, in place of the 
aforementioned backleading.

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.

"I gotta go ta woik...."
     ...........Ian Shoales, Duck's Breath Mystery Theater
+++++++++++++++++++++