<HTML><HTML> In a message dated 11/16/04 12:15:13 PM, hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu writes:<= BR> <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">Measure hammer blow.<= BR> Move the hammer rail forward until the hammers are halfway to the strings. Wedge the hammer rail in place. Tie wedge/rail/action bracket<BR= > together. Actuate damper pedal rod until the dampers just start to move. If you = can get a wedge in there that will help. Tie damper rod in place. Remove action and put in a cradle/stand. Lift a wippen up until the jack touches the hammerbutt. Since the hamm= ers are held at the point where the dampers should start lifting and the dampers are held where they are when they are contacting the strings, you<BR= > can adjust the spoons to just move the dampers when the jack hits the butt.<= BR> </BLOCKQUOTE> I do a variation of the above which I actually learned on the list here year= s ago.  (It must be in the archives.)  It's a little less compli= cated to set up than the above, but kind of works on the same idea.  A= nyway, it has worked for me and here it is: If there are any dampers which lift at the right time mark them with chalk.&= nbsp; Ideally, find some in each section.  (If not, see note later.)&= nbsp; Remove action.  Put wedges under the damper lift rod until one = of the marked dampers lift at exactly the same time that their hammer starts= to move.  In other words, insert your wedge, find one of your marked = dampers, and put your finger under the wippen and lift until the hammer just= starts to move.  Is that marked damper (one of the dampers that lifte= d at the correct time in the piano) moving before, after or at the same time= as the hammer? It should start moving when the hammer moves.  Adjust= the wedge accordingly until the damper moves in unison with the hammer.&nbs= p; OK.  Now you're all set.  Bend the other spoons so that they= , too, move at the same time as their respective hammers.  Like Conrad= 's method, this takes a couple of rounds to get just right.  (Hope you= 're not working on a spinet!)  Each time the action goes back in the p= iano, mark the dampers that are moving too soon or too late, take the action= back out and reset the damper lift rod so that the correctly lifting damper= s lift at the same time as their hammers, and then adjust your bad ones unti= l they also move at the same time as their hammers.  It usually takes = me three rounds to get it right.  What if there are no dampers lifting at the correct time?  Congratulat= ions!  You're going to make a little extra money, because you'll have = to guess on that first pass and that's going to take extra time.  It s= eems like I get a few right on that first pass even when I'm just guessing, = and then you can mark those and start at the top.  This may be where C= onrad's method outshines this one.  Next time, Conrad, I think I'll try it your way.  (But tell me, how do= you get the damper rod wedged while it's in the piano?) Since I rarely cont= ribute, and no one mentioned the above method, well, here it is.  Anonymously yours, PianoTunaGuy</HTML>