S&S green goop

[A440A@AOL.COM]

Ken writes:
 
>>  I know it would only
>>help to replace it, but exactly how does one do this quickly and
>>efficiently? It's not in this piano's budget to disassemble to clean,
>or is there an easier way?

Greetings, 
     That old budget thing?  yes,  as much as I hate it, sometimes real life 
requires a departure from ideal.  So,  here is what I would do. 
    Working from the back,with all hammershanks up,  go through and lift all 
springs out of their slots and above the rep. post.  Lay a 3/8" wooden dowel  
under the ends of the springs, so that they are supported.  this takes about 
three minutes.  Get a small cotton wheel on a Dremel tool, and with a little 
Polita, Tripoli, or whatever, go down the line with the wheel, polishing the 
tops and sides of the spring ends.  The rod keeps them from moving around, 
but pay attention to the direction of the wheel, lest you snag a repair in 
the middle of your regulation. 
    This takes about five minutes, and leaves them ready to go.  
     Some very old graphite grease has proven to work longer than anything 
else I have tried, so I put a small glop of that on the end of each spring, 
while the dowel is still under them.  Roll the dowel out from under and 
carefully return the spring to its slot, without scraping the grease off on 
the way.  
       Cleaning is important for some longevity with this, so use a tool that 
fits and scrape out the residue while also burnishing the slot. The sixties 
Steinways often had softer wood here, and there will be a dent in the slot 
that makes regulation a step closer to madness.  
You can't properly regulate an action with erratic springs.
Regards, 
Ed Foote