<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Hi,everybody! regarding leveling the keys i'm surprised nobody had mentioned the possibility of leveling them "by ear",just the way blind technicians do. when straightedge or my favorite L-shaped aluminum</DIV> <DIV> is covering 1-1.5 octaves,just tapping the keys from the buttom will produce different sounds depending on the gap and then it is your judjment what thickness paper punching to insert. I had observed this technic in one of the convention classes for blind tuners years ago. It woyks! best of luck. isaac</DIV> <DIV>P.s> the list is very addictive.. i'm thrilled to see all familiar names and appreciate wealth  of information and knowledge. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!</DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=collin.s@skynet.be href="mailto:collin.s@skynet.be">Stéphane Collin</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 11/22/04 5:55:34 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: keyboard levelling </DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Quentin, David and list.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Strange, I find it much easier to appreciate a straight line in the keys when viewed from the side of the keyboard, than to appreciate the individual distance from the keys to a stick placed above them (certainly if that distance is small).  Also, only by eye can I pound three informations : the alignement of the underside of the fronts of the keys (supposed of course that they are perfecly evenly cut, which is nearly always the case), the alignment of the underside of the keytops, and the alignment of the upside of the keytops (which, if ivory and old, can have altered thicknesses due to wear which would induce some severe leveling errors when regulated with the stick).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And, when it comes down to less than 0.16 mm difference between the level of adjacent keys (0.08 mm is the thickness of the smallest balance rail punchings I use, and I suppose here that the balance hole is approximately in the middle of the key length), which difference I'm sure anyone can see, I believe that the discrepencies in the other parts of the action plus the discrepencies in string height and the discrepencies in the apparent bore distance of the used hammers are all of greater consequence (and concern) to the regulation.  </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best regards.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Stéphane Collin.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>