<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">Floyd is correct that the hammer should return without a bridle strap.  However the bridle strap can be used to help with repetition on a vertical action.  By setting the bridle wires so the keys don't "wink" when the soft pedal is depressed you can take advantage of the weight of the wippen to assist in snapping the hammer assembly back into place.  High checking and limiting the travel of the soft pedal are necessary steps before adjusting the bridle wires.  The soft pedal needs to be adjusted so it makes a difference aurally not just moving the hammers half way.  If there is no aural change the hammers are simply waving at you.  If on the other hand you can accomplish an aural difference with less than half the hammer travel you can set the wires tighter for a "hotter" repeating action.  Probably too much trouble on this fine Schafer and Sons spinet but handy to know for other vertical regulation.<div><br></div><div>Norman Cantrell, RPT<br><br>--- On <b>Sun, 3/11/12, pianolover 88 <i><pianolover88@hotmail.com></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>From: pianolover 88 <pianolover88@hotmail.com><br>Subject: Re: [pianotech] The case of the missing bridle straps%21<br>To: fg@floydgadd.com, pianotech@ptg.org<br>Date: Sunday, March 11, 2012, 9:12 PM<br><br><div id="yiv1175167616"> <style></style> <div><div dir="ltr"> Floyd Gadd asked: <i>"Is the action you are working on constructed so that the jacks do not fall below the hammer butt felts, even without bridle straps?  If so, that would probably explain the absence of bridle straps.</i>"<br><br>Excellent observation! Yes, you are correct! I never even thought of that. <br><br>Cheers,<br><br>Terry "UniGeezer" Peterson<br>"Over 50, and not '2' Tired!" <br><a rel="nofollow" style="font-weight:bold;" target="_blank" href="http://unigeezer.com/">www.unigeezer.com</a><br><br><br><div><div id="yiv1175167616SkyDrivePlaceholder"></div><hr id="yiv1175167616stopSpelling">From: fg@floydgadd.com<br>To: pianotech@ptg.org<br>Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:09:35 -0600<br>Subject: Re: [pianotech] The case of the missing bridle straps%21<br><br> <title></title> <style> #yiv1175167616 .yiv1175167616ExternalClass {font-family:Verdana;font-size:10pt;font-weight:normal;color:black;background-color:white;} </style> <div>My thinking on the bridle strap issue is that the role of the bridle straps is to keep the jack from slipping under the hammer butt felt when the action is removed from the piano.  If the hammer will not return to the rest position without being yanked there by the bridle strap, there is a problem somewhere.  It sounds like you've found the problem in your case.  I'm curious:  is the action you are working on constructed so that the jacks do not fall below the hammer butt felts, even without bridle straps?  If so, that would probably explain the absence of bridle straps.</div> <div> </div> <div>Floyd Gadd</div> <div>Manitoba Chapter</div></div> </div></div> </div></blockquote></div></td></tr></table>