Whatever the manual says, the .1 4 grams acceptable range came straight from the horses mouth (David Kirkland) after I queried about zero gram resistance throughout the piano on a new B. With respect to your other message about parts quality, I have not found anyone approaching Renner in terms of quality on a consistent basis--that in spite of claims of improvement. I frequently run into loose drop screws, tight pinning on jacks, loose pinning on hammer flanges, noisy repetition springs. I don't see these problems with Renner. Ive not found fit or weigh-off to be a problem with Renner given the various options to accommodate the randomness with which various manufacturers, especially Steinway have produced actions with respect to leverage. Often, the availability of those various configurations is simply essential. Neither Tokiwa nor Abel, in my view, are quite there yet. However, the one thing that Tokiwa does that I wish Renner would do is produce a wippen with a screw adjustable assist spring. When using that style part, I think that is an essential feature. David Love davidlovepianos at comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Mark Dierauf Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 2:50 PM To: Pianotech List Subject: RE: New Stein. A loose hammer flanges You were misinformed. The current Service manual states: Within 14 grams rotating friction with minimal side play on all action centers. The use of a gram gauge applied to the flange is a preferred method for taking friction measurements. Steinway makes no recommendation as to the number of times a hammer is supposed to swing. Steinway treats their center cloth with teflon and claims thereby to allow for lower friction while retaining the requisite firmness. Still, 20 swings is probably way too loose. That being said I have encountered pinning problems in all brands of parts from time to time, and have come o the conclusion that even the best manufacturers struggle with this issue, and always have. In fact, I think that there's a good argument to be made for treating all action center friction in new parts as suspect unless checked and proven to be otherwise. Careful repinning of new (or relatively new) centers has become something I do more and more as part of my normal parts replacement procedure. - Mark David Love wrote: It should be a warranty issue. Unfortunately, I have been advised that the acceptable pinning friction on a new Steinway is .1 - 4 grams. Whether or not they will cover it is another issue. Twenty swings is too loose. David Love davidlovepianos at comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com
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