Tripping, (was METHOD)

[A440A@AOL.COM]

Inre splitting errors between hammer line and keydip, Bill asks:
<< Very interesting strategy. BTW, are you doing this for indiviudal hammers
or section by section ?

The individual hammers themselves.  Before I replace the front punchings, I 
put a blue  punching on every pin. This allows me to change not only the 
overall keydip downward, if necessary, but also provides a known quantity if 
I need to deepen the dip to get my aftertouch (AT?).  If I pull the blue out, 
and still don't have enough aftertouch,  the hammer goes up.  If things get 
ugly,  I go looking for specifics, starting with the knuckle and/or capstan.  
I have moved individual capstans before when the hammerline became too loose. 
(early 70-80's Mason & Hamlin was one like this, an action that was simply 
junk!)  

>If the former (bumpy hammerline), does this pose a problem for re-regulation 
later
on after the hammer line (and everything else) settles under use, and you have
to re-establish that hammer line? I've always found a straight line is
easier to recall than a bumpy line<<

    The easiest way to reestablish the proper hammer line on one of my action 
regulations (after use) is to go back in and set the hammerline by 
aftertouch. (usually a resetting of the let-off precedes this, but that only 
takes 10 minutes in the piano).  This usually entails putting a .050" 
punching on the front pin, pressing down on the key, and turning the capstan 
until the hammer just trips.  They go back very close to where they were 
originally and the aftertouch is once again consistant.   

>>Finally, the dip is the best, most efficient place to put this error. 

I agree, and I'm always looking for the fastest, most consistant way of 
putting it there. 
Regards, 
Ed