Keep on filing...(picture attached)

[Porritt, David]

John:

I don't know that I'd call it a "rule" but it's a procedure and one that
I 
use in a thorough regulation.  I'd say it's pretty common on this side
of the pond.  I learned it from Bill Garlick back when he was the
director of technical training at Steinway NY. He's now retired and
living on the Isle of Man in your corner of the world - last I've heard.

Pinning the repetition lever to 8 grams restricts the jumpiness of the
hammer on key release and directs more of the spring's energy into
returning the key.  When I'm doing a very careful regulation of a
performance piano (where "it's so even" is the compliment I want to
hear) I use an 8-gram weight I have that has a hole in the middle.  If I
put that weight on the screw that regulates the rep. lever's height (the
short end of the rep. lever) I want the pinning tight enough that it
holds the weight.  When I place it on the drop screw pad (the longer end
of the rep. lever) I want the lever to gently fall.

dp

David M. Porritt
dporritt at smu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of John Delacour
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 10:39 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: Keep on filing...(picture attached)

At 9:01 am -0500 20/6/07, Porritt, David wrote:

>Yes, that's the pin.  The resistance should be measured at the drop 
>screw pad, with the spring being held so it's not affecting the 
>lever.  10-grams there is probably tops but 8 is really a nice 
>number.

I have never heard of such a rule, nor have I ever discovered in 
pianos of many makes the application of such a rule or had any 
difficulty adjusting the rise of the hammer with the centre at the 
proper tightness, i.e. not tight at all.  Please explain what seems 
to me a very strange recommendation.

JD