<html> Hi Ric,                Lets step back a tad.   The action was OK before installation of hammers shanks and bushings.  Generally the friction should have gone up wards a little.  So there has been 3 significant changes.  1. Hammer mass.  2. Knuckle size.  3. Friction. As a fast rule of thumb check.  If the blow distance, dip and after touch is satisfactory.   The tone is acceptable. (strike weight issues vs tone is another discussion)   Then hammer and shank mass change is more than lightly been responsible for the change. Removal of some key leads is probably the best and fastest way to go.  Inertia goes down, and both down weight and up weight will go up, resulting in  better repitition and feel. If the action was not completely analysed before hanging the hammers, (so we can compare the two sets of results.)  It is just speculation  to try and figure what is going on. Now it would be helpful if Wim would reinstall some of the old hammers and shanks, and give the comparitive figures. I have stirred the pot enough. Regards Roger At 09:32 AM 2/7/02 +0100, you wrote: >Vincent Earl Mrykalo wrote: > >> Yes, I would follow the advice given to remove some weight from the front of the >> keys.  How much?  Well, I would use 36 as the balance weight >> (Upweight+Downweight divided by 2) as a guide as to how much lead to get rid of. >> Of course, if you don't have much lead to begin with (a possibility, but not >> likely) you should weight the hammers. > >I think it unlikely that this piano was delivered from the factory with 40 grams >down weight... which perhaps means at this point less then 30 grams of balance >weight.  Pulling leads out is something that in general I think most of us find to >be a good thing, but we probably should be sure its the right thing in each case. >Its not really such a difficult process to find out where the biggest problems are >these days. > >To put it over-simplified... its either leverage, friction, or that something just >plain weighs too much or too little.  Measureing UW and DW will give you the >existing friction and touchweight numbers, but really not much more specific >information then that. Its a simple matter to plug those numbers along with a few SW >/ FW numbers and see which areas are causeing trouble and which angle is the most >effective way to go about. > >Whatever you do should be reverseble, unless you are darn sure you want to go with >that in a longer term effort to improve the pianos touch IMHO. > >Reasons why this should be so light ??... hammer filing, somebody pulling the >staples, replacement hammers that were too light, (hows the sound of this puppy eh >?) replacement of different dimension knuckles, somebody increased FW (not >likely-grin). lots more... > >This is a university piano. Lots of use... lots of wear and tear. Unknown quality >concerning previous maintainance. I would look first to these as potential causes >for too light touch, then to basic leverage /weight relationships (as it is quick >and easy to do) and then make a decision what to do. Probably be either add SW or >subtract FW... but I would'nt be suprised to find myself at least adding some weight >to the hammers. This is a Steinway, and my experience tell me that many many >pianists expect big sounds and a massy feel from them. > >Just a few extra thoughts to stir the pot :) > > > > >-- >Richard Brekne >RPT, N.P.T.F. >Bergen, Norway ><a href="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no" eudora="autourl">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</a> ><a href="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html" eudora="autourl">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</a> > </html>