<HTML>I have been led to believe, as I am sure you are too, = that damper felts will harden when they get wet. I just restrung a 30 year old B, and was going to replace the damper felts. = I took the dampers home and gave them a shower. (I soak them in the shower w= ith hot water. It loosens the glue so the felts drop off easily). The next morning I got sidelined, and it wasn't until later in the next I ha= d time to take the felts off. By this time, however, the glue had hardened a= gain, and I had to cut the felts off with a knife. I soon realized that I fo= rgot that I had replaced these dampers about a year and half ago. So they we= re virtually brand new. But when I touched the felt, they all seemed very so= ft. I had only removed the felt off the last 6 dampers, so I thought, what t= he hell, lets try putting them on the piano, and see how they work. I did, and they are fine. None of them are hard. So my conclusion is that ne= w felts can get wet, and still work. You learn something new every day. Amaz= ing, but true. Wim </HTML>