Terry We have a tech, (in Oregon City, Oregon), that does re-annealing of brass rails. He insists it works. :-) As for converting to wood, I've done a few. What really will make it less stressful, is a "jig" that will hold the action in the same positiion as it would be in the piano. With this jig, you are able to set samples to assure that the distance from the wippen and butt centers, to the strings are the same. Basically, this "jig" is a platform with a vertical back and mock-ups of adjustable action mounts, (horizontally/vertically adjustable), action mounting bolts, (adjustable). Once you get the "jig" set up, then you can play around with various hammer butt configurations, to get the action centers in the proper juxtaposition of the originals. It's actually a lot easier to do than tell about. My results have been good. Most of the one's I have done were on Chickerings. Best Regards, Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon) Been There, Didn't Like It, So I'm Here To Stay! [G}
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