Steinway action noise

Jon Page jonpage at comcast.net
Fri Nov 16 06:19:00 MST 2007


Looking at my parts, there is a Hamburg flange with the drop screw
about 2 mm proximally located.  In your photo, the red leaching of the
dye into the shank around the bushing says Renner.
My NY S&S shanks have a bushing with a white center not all red.
Some Renner flanges (if I'm not mistaken) have the center about 1 mm
more distal.

The Magic Line is measured with the key set at half-blow not half dip.
Half blow is about 1/3 dip and is also the time that the damper engages.
The easiest way to measure it is to insert a screw driver blade under
  the rear of the key until the hammer reaches half-blow.

The key end lifter felt height should be about 1 3/8" at rest.  If someone
replaced the back rail felt and didn't install underfelt then they would 
have to
increase the felt height to time the dampers without drastically lowering
the underlevers on the wires (or off them).

Check the underlever flange center height while you're at it. The key lifts the
underlever to ~1 3/4". Lift one to that height and see if it is parallel to 
the keybed.
I say it should lift to parallel, anything short of that and there is too 
much sliding
friction on the felt and usually causes digging of a trench because the 
underlevers
and at too steep of a downward angle. Lifting beyond parallel is not efficient
motion either. There is less scrubbing friction when lifted to parallel.

Regards,

Jon Page



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