<div>On 8/28/07, Don Mannino <<a href="mailto:donmannino@ca.rr.com">donmannino@ca.rr.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Gordon, Here are my reasons for always preferring new shanks: - Shank wood ages and becomes more flexible with time.  New hammers with more felt are heavier than the old worn hammers, and will cause the shank to flex more in forte playing.  The tone will be weak as a result. - If hammers are worn, knuckles are worn.  You can replace them separately - but then the labor begins to justify new shanks. - Action centers have often been gummed up at some point in their lives, and the bushings may not perform as well as they once did.  New fresh bushings with even pinning makes for good tone and even touch. Don Mannino ----- Original Message ----- From: "gordon stelter" <<a href="mailto:lclgcnp@yahoo.com">lclgcnp@yahoo.com</a>> To: "Pianotech List" <<a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"> pianotech@ptg.org</a>> Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:20 PM Subject: What are benefits of new shanks on upright hammer replacement ? > If any.  I'm trying to decide if the added expense and > trouble is justified, for several of the pianos I'm > working on. >     Peace, >     Thump > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated > for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. > <a href="http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow">http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow </a> > Hi Gordon, Mike here again, I agree with what Don said, if it were a grand as he described, upright shanks don't have knuckles, I just got a hundred from Schaff and not a knuckle in the bunch. So for the average or even above average upright, I would stand by my original answer, for the exceptional upright yes if warranted.   I work on some exceptional uprights that have been re-hammered, keys rebushed, flanges rebushed, dampers replaced underkey felt replaced, hammer rail felt replaced, everything necessary was done but the shanks are the originals. This is work done by my mentor and those that came before me, all people I hold in high regard. People with 35 to 45 years of piano work and/or rebuilding, each one of them PTG RPT's. </blockquote></div> -- Michael Magness Magness Piano Service 608-786-4404 <a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</a> email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com </a>