David <div>  Its sound like your stack is at leas 2 mm high. Anymore than that and it will scrape the bottom of the pinblock.</div> <div> I am working on 1950s B action where the hammer center to keybed was 142 mm. From experience 145 is the usual standard. I shimmed it up to spec. It had the opposite problems of yours. Shanks too high off rest felts,capstans buried, bore distance to short, hammers way overcentering.</div> <div>  Shimming is easier than removing. I think last time I used a small laminate trimmer to take the cleats down & then cleaned it up with a very sharp chisel. Or just use a sharp chisel. If you get to low shimming will solve the rest of the elevation issues.</div> <div> <div style="color: navy; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; clear: both; ">Dale Erwin R.P.T. Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc. Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S. pianos www.Erwinspiano.com Phone: 209-577-8397 <tt><tt>     </tt></tt> </div> <div style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 10pt; ">-----Original Message----- From: David Love <davidlovepianos@comcast.net> To: pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Tue, Oct 9, 2012 7:08 pm Subject: [pianotech] Lowering the stack on a Steinway <div id="AOLMsgPart_0_58cd26ff-0a60-4aa5-80a5-2e9a18edcb15" style="margin: 0px;font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;font-size: 12px;color: #000;background-color: #fff;"> <pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>Encountered a Steinway c1960's today. Had been converted from Teflon to Renner action. Overall, the stack is too high. Center pin to key bed is 5 7/8"+. Shanks are on the rest cushions with just about exactly 1 3/4" blow. Shanks can rebound into the balancier screw with certain types of staccato touch. Capstans are screw up far too high. Looking for an efficient way to cut down the key frame rests for the stack feet and lower the stack by about 1/8"+. Any suggestions? There are other issues with this action as well that I will need to address. Leverage is very high. Original shank swapped out to 16.5 knuckle hanging. Wippen assist springs were employed and in the upper part of the piano the hammer tails contact the assist springs on a hard blow. Hammers are too heavy even with the assist spring for this action (have yet to do a complete analysis). However, the stack, I'm convinced, must be lowered no matter what. David Love <a href="http://www.davidlovepianos.com" target="_blank">www.davidlovepianos.com</a> </tt></pre> </div>  </div> </div>