<HTML>In a message dated 3/8/02 8:04:35 AM Central Standard Time, lesbart1@juno.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">All parts in whippen are plastic, and the spring actually will lift the whippen up, at rest, when the back (damper-end) of the key is held down. I think it is contributing to a sluggish action.  The home in which the piano resides had a fire five years ago. The piano was covered with a large tarp, says customer, in order to "prevent it from getting wet"........   Now, five years later, hammers are either sticking or swinging 1-31/2 times. There is some verdigris on the bass hammers, but the hammer flange pins look clean, as does the hammer flange felt.   Wisdom needed. Repinning seems to fix the hammers, but I cannot figure why it would take this long for them to get tight. Thanks les bartlett </BLOCKQUOTE> Les I don't think the spring on the wippen is slowing the action down. I do believe the problem is with the hammer flange centers. Why does it take so long for this problem to show up now? I don't think the problem showing up now. The problem probably was there shortly after the fire, but perhaps the piano has not been played until recently. But even if it is just now showing up, the effects of heat, soot, and moisture, is long lasting, and it takes a long time for the effects to show up. That's another reason why it is important to rebuild a piano after a fire, even if everything looks "normal." Wim </HTML>