<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=white> <DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"> <DIV><EM>"BTW whats an Inverted Direct Blow? Is it upside down?"</EM></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I assume she is talking about one of those....... Brooks action is it? I think the name is something like that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=625202020-03062006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><EM>"How long is a soaking? Are you submerging the entire part into this mixture or are you just soaking the center with drops?"</EM></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Drops. I tend to be pretty liberal with my drops - just want to be sure to get the bushings good and soaked. Just make sure you don't soak the butt leather off (DAMHIK! - although I wonder, was that worse than the time I filled all the key pin mortices on a set of keys with water to soak the bushings out? Wanna know how to plump-up a set of keys?). Actually, what I do is get my aim calibrated, set the action to where I have access, and squeeze my squirt bottle (fine tip) and just run a stream of it right up the whole action in one direction on the butt centers. Then I squeeze again and run it right across all the butt/flange centers the other way. I might repeat that. Then I'll target another action center if needed - check them all - jacks, dampers, etc.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><EM>"Are there any other causes I should look for before I try soaking?"<o:p></o:p></EM></SPAN></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well, you need to do the standard checks. Isolate the keys from the action - which one is slow? Remove a couple butts and check flange friction. Just isolate all the moving parts and you should be able to identify with confidence exactly where the problem is (or where the problems are).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'll put a fan on when I let them dry overnight - put the fan on low and not even point it directly at the action. I've had real good luck with it. Often one application makes the magic work completely. Sometimes it will only get 80% of the centers and you need to do it again. Even then sometimes I'll have to Protek a few centers to get them all working.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>>Remove one hammer and check it out, should be fairly obvious. Im totally with Terry on this, soak and let dry overnight. BTW whats an Inverted Direct Blow? Is it upside >down?</DIV> <DIV><BR>>Dave Doremus, RPT</DIV> <DIV><BR>----- Original Message ----- </DIV></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=625202020-03062006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>How long is a soaking? Are you submerging the entire part into this mixture or are you just soaking the center with drops?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=625202020-03062006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=625202020-03062006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>-- Geoff Sykes</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=625202020-03062006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>-- Assoc. Los Angeles</FONT></SPAN></DIV></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><BR> </DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">“If you are sure” is something I can’t be sure of yet in this new endeavor.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Other than the slow return of the hammers, everything is functioning normally.  The notes still play, they’re just losing energy because they can’t get back to the rest rail.  <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Are there any other causes I should look for before I try soaking?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thanks very much!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Michelle <U><FONT color=#0000ff>Smith<o:p></o:p></FONT></U></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">If you are sure it is the hammer butt/flange action centers that are slow, on a piano like this, I recommend removing action and soak action centers with about a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water. Let dry overnight - do not blow dry with heat. 90% of the time this will free up all the action centers.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Lots about this in the archives.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Terry Farrell</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>