<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html>   Wim, Next time the keys are low try changing the back rail felt.  The wrong backrail felt lowers the front of the keys.  It's fast.  I don't like using a lot of punchings on the balance rail as I feel it can create a spongy feel. I pre-compress all my balance rail and front rail felt punchings.  I have a tool that Schaff sells for soundboard repair.  I've never used it for that, though.  It has a 16 gauge piano wire with a block/wing nut on one end and a washer/allen screw nut on the other.  The whole set of punchings is put on the wire, compressed, tightened, rolled (like a rolling pin) to align all, and sprayed with water.  The set sits and dries for at least four days.  The punchings stay compressed but resilient.  The leveling and dip hardly change once correctly set. Back rail felt is the start though. Tim Coates Wapin Co., LLP   Wimblees@aol.com wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>I am in the process of re-regualting a S&S M, where one of the main problems was that the keys were too low, (they were almost touching the front rail when depressed). I raised them all with cardboard and paper punchings. As I was doing this, I got thinking about this question. Are there any rules of thumb, or what is the general consensus, as to what thickness the wool balance rail punching should be? Should we have thick punchings with fewer paper/cardboard punchings, or thin punchings with lots of paper/cardboard? I guess I could ask the same for the front rail. Do we use thick felts and fewer cardboard, or the other way around? Or does it make any difference? Wim</blockquote> </html>