<HTML>In a message dated 3/22/2003, kpiano@goldrush.com writ= es: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT= : 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Damper felts on a Baldwin grand= . I cut the felts and set them in order in a tray. All square cuts on this one. Sitting at the piano, the glue pot, dampers and felts to the left, I grab the damper, turn it over, brush on the= glue, set the felts into the glue quick. A little fuss with alignment, turn<= BR> it over, make sure, then a quick, firm, press. Knock off the squeeze and put= the damper in place. Of course I've loosened all the screws and checked the<= BR> hole with a drill bit. At this point I have about 15 to 30 sec to push the<B= R> felt around with the tip of a screwdriver. This aligns the head with the string and makes the front and back edge look the same. </BLOCKQUOTE> I don't like to put the dampers in to use the string as a guide. The head mi= ght not be perfectly aligned to the string, and I want to fix that separatel= y, later. I leave the dampers out until the glue dries. Alignment of the fel= t front to back and side to side can be best done as in the first part of yo= ur note. Before the felt is cut, be sure to mark one side of it (on the surf= ace which is to be glued), and keep all the marks to the same side. That way= , if the felt is not perfectly symmetrical (hah) it will still match front t= o back. Then, the eye and fingers are best gauges of alignment, while the fe= lt and head are still in your hand. If you have some which are trichord wedg= es front and back, you can set a knife blade in the center slots to align if= it makes you feel better, but it shouldn't be necessary. The damper heads might now not align with the strings, but you want to fix t= hat anyway - at least the felt is aligned with the head. Bob Davis</HTML>