Rick, Are the butt flanges pinned with long center pins that go though all of the butts in a section? I have seen this on old Broadwood grands. To answer your order question. I usually install all of the whippen assemblies first. I like to glue on the new parts quickly with them all installed instead of handling each piece. I then glue on action (capstan) cloth, butt and catcher leather, butt felt squares on the butt and catcher (if they had them), Dag and burnish the jack tops and toes, install jack springs then install backcheck felt. If you haven't removed the damper rod and polished and rebushed the flanges do this and re-install. Install butts. Mostly I see brass rail butt flanges that use the brass plates attached with a set screw. I usually replace the plates and redrill the original brass rail tabs to accept the new screws (you may need to grind the new screws a little shorter to clear the butt mortise). If you will be installing new hammers I would recommend using new butts and shanks. The poor quality new ones available from Pratt Read from the supply houses will probably need to be rebushed. I haven't tried Renner's I understand they have them though. Anyway install the butts, install the newly re-felted and re sprung spring rail. Glue in butt spring punchings if you need them, hold them in place with the springs as you go. Bend any springs that twist when installed in the butt spring slots. Install let off rail with new punchings making sure that all screws will turn freely and not break off. Install bridal straps and hook them up at same time. Rebush hammer rest rail flanges, Replace hammer rest rail felt. Install hammer rest rail. If you are using the old butts and shanks I would probably install the damper assemblies here. You will only have your guide hammers and the shanks in the way. First I would clean them and replace the damper under lever felt and spring punchings. If the springs are shot, install new flanges with springs or new assemblies. With the action on the cradle look to make sure all spoons are contacting the felt correctly and adjust if necessary. Straighten out any misaligned damper heads. I would put the action in the piano and glue on damper felt before hanging hammers. Bend wires as needed to align heads with strings. Check to make sure you can get lift from the pedal and the dampers will seat and rough it in if you want to. I like to glue in the felt in the piano but you could glue the flats on with the action in the cradle if you wanted. Put a piece of masking tape on the strings in the area of the strike point per Bill Spurlocks instructions on his web site. Adjust the bolts (name?) in the keyframe under the action brackets so that the action fits in snugly and adjust the strike point if necessary. Measure 1/8" down from the center of the V-bar and make a mark on the tape at #88. Draw a line in the middle of your #1 hammer and mark the spot where it originally would have contacted the tape. Using a straightedge make a line from #88 to #1 on the tape. You will use this line to align your sample hammers for each section. Bore samples taper top octave or so. Use hammer boring procedure or order bored to samples. Hang hammers checking along the tops for alignment using a small straight edge and the tape on the strings. If the low tenor damper felt is short I will usually "sweep up" the last 4 or 5 hammers to allow for longer damper felt. This is also covered, I think, on Bill Spurlock's web site. This is by no means the way I do this every time as there are always different things to consider on each action. This is just a suggestion. I use hot hide glue for all action parts. I hope this helps, Britt West
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