<html> Hi Graeme,                   Check height,  with the hammer set at the desired blow distance, the centre line of the shank should line up with the top 1/3rd point og the check. With the rake set at 22  degrees, and a radius of  the tail being 1/2 the distance of the tail to centre pin measurement, and the tail from the bore centre being 3/4" but no longer than 1". every thing will regulate just fine. See this months Journal, east to read pictures. Regards Roger At 07:44 PM 30/08/00 +1200, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite cite> Willem wrote.... <Greame. I guess I'll have to say it again: Fly me down there, and I'll show you. :) <To remove and install back checks, with wires, I find it works best if you put the key in a vice. Remove the wire with a pair of side cutters, but use a small block of wood as the fulcrum point, instead of the key itself. This will pull the wire out much easier and it won't elongate the hole. . To install the new backcheck, I use a soft face hammer to gently tap the new wire back in. As far as height, measure the old one, and use a jig of some sort, (a hammershank with a line on it) to determine the correct height of the new one. > Hi Willem, You could fly down and do both jobs at once (valuing pianos from a previous enquiry). :) In this particular case, though you are probably not going to get here on time, as I hope to complete this job in a few days. The new checks I've been supplied with are fitted to the wires already, and my query was how to install them complete without removing the wires. Is your method, using a soft faced hammer intended to tap the top of the check itself or just the wire? How do some of you others approach this? The other issue of check height relates to a re-designed action, lowered hammer centre height etc etc, so the old check height may not be the best position, though could be a close guide. Sorry I didn't mention this before. (Pity, you could've stayed a bit longer in NZ to solve this one too) My thinking is that for the most efficient checking, the best situation is to have the most hammer tail surface area in contact. Therefore, if the ideal checking distance is say, 16 mm from the string then the top of the check could be set so tat the hammer tail is well down the check leather. Does this make sense? Any other thoughts on this, any rules of thumb (or rule of thumbs) here? Regards Graeme Harvey New Plymouth New Zealand </blockquote> <div>Roger Jolly</div> <div>Saskatoon, Canada.</div> <div>306-665-0213</div> Fax 652-0505 </html>