<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> I'm using 3/8" dowel with a 5/8" punching. Also, rather than drilling a shallow hole in the tray and trap lever, I use a roughly 1" square of 1/4" cowhide, with a 5/8" hole drilled through it, on both the tray and lever. I can position these and the new pitman, lined up through the hole through the keybed, until I get the straightest run. Then I mark their positions, remove the pitman and glue the leather blocks in place. An appropriate wedge under the tray acts as a clamp, and I use a spring clamp on the trap lever. Gluing the rough side of the lever with titebond, it dries adequately in a minute or so, and if I should screw something up I figure it will be a lot easier to remove the leather blocks than to un-drill holes in the parts. If you're dealing with an older Steinway with the 5/8" original pitman, it isn't even necessary to drill out the hole through the keybed. - Mark Dierauf <img alt="pitman capture block" src="cid:part1.05020102.04040104@nhpianos.com" height="290" width="415"> >List, > >When retrofitting the pitman what size dowel and felt punching are people using?   I have used 1/2" and front rail punchings but I'm looking at 3/8" dowel and 5/8" punching... >  >David Ilvedson, RPT >Pacifica, CA 94044 </body> </html>