<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16441" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> Probably worth replacing all the springs, if several too weak.  But have you also checked the stiffness of the jack centres?  Since the piano has been sitting unplayed for 30 years, the centres may well be very stiff.  Protek centre pin lubricant may help, or just working the jacks with your fingers, plus if the piano has been moved into a different room and is now being played, it may ease off.  The rattling noise might come from loose hammer flanges.  They can work loose just with cyclical expansion and contraction over 30 years' worth of seasonal changes.  It's always worth tightening all flange screws when you have the action out, if the piano hasn't had any attention for a long time.  The flanges can "slap" microscopically against the rail, when some of the energy travels back down the shank as the hammer rebounds off the string.  It can be surprising, the difference in the feel of the action, too, when you tighten the flange screws.  Another thing to check, for noise, is whether the hamer heads are loose.  That tends to produce a small 'clicking' noise.  There are various other possibilities also for rattling noises! Best wishes, David.   >Hello, >I am new to repair and have a question.  I recently worked on a Baldwin upright with wire lifters.  Several of the keys noted by the customer >played but would go "dead" after several strikes.  The jacks were not resetting.  So I replaced those jack springs.  Upon replacing the action >(pain in the neck) we found several more "dead keys".  Question:  Is it ever necessary to replace all the jack springs on a piano about 50 years >old?  Are there any good reading materials on this action? >Also,  A few of the hammers seem to make a rattling noise when they hit the keys.  They seem loose but I can't tell and the noise happens >when the strings are struck.  What should I look at to repair this problem?  >As an aside - the piano sat dormant for at least 30 years with no care at all in West Texas.</DIV></BODY></HTML>