<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> <DIV>I've seen this many times.  If you get a wet strip of cloth, you can "shoe-shine"  the spoons clean again.  Usually, you have to replace the felt.  I think that some moisture gets in there and affects the felt.  Something in the felt then gets on the spoons and dries, making it like sandpaper.  </DIV> <DIV>The symptom is opposite to what you find when there is excess friction in the action- the keys are more sluggish when you play the note "without" using the damper pedal.</DIV> <DIV>Paul McCloud</DIV> <DIV> San Diego</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 09/02/2006 9:59:28 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Damper Lever Felt Excavation</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yup, that's what I used - action cloth. And I agree with you that the felt likely played a role in forming the gritty coating on the spoon. I don't have a clue as to how that might work - but the gritty coating was red.....</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></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><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>I had a customer piano with the same trouble exactly. As I recall, the felt was part of the problem and yours looks suspicious, too. I replaced it with a good woven action cloth. <BR><BR>Alan Barnard<BR>Salem, MO<BR>Joshua 24:15</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>