Steinway action rail replacement

[Jerry Anderson]

Newton,

Thanks for your very detailed (and prompt!) reply.

A couple comments/questions:

>First get a new rail, from New York if possible.  You can get a blank
>rail or one that has the holes drilled.  I would get the one with holes
>drilled if possible.

This is a for a Hamburg Steinway for which I  have new
Hamburg shanks and flanges.  I  plan to put in Hamburg rails
as I believe there is a difference between the NY and German
flange profile. German parts are easier to get over here
anyway.

>If you have gotten a blank rail I would find a way to fasten to the
>let-off rail so that I could transfer the hole locations with a small
>square against a let-off screw and scratch the location on the new
>rail. 

I was thinking of making a new scale stick and drilling a virgin rail
according to the exact agraffe placement in the piano....but reading
your suggestion, I wonder if I might not be asking for trouble with
jack heel and whippen heel alignment.

Do you have any preferences for the type of solder to use?

Thanks again, Newton, for your very detailed information.

Jerry