<html>  <head></head> <body>  <DIV></DIV> <P>Warren, Thanks for the great advice.</P> <P>Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano<BR></P> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message from "Warren Fisher" <fishwar@bellsouth.net>: -------------- <BR><BR> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2668" name=GENERATOR> <DIV>Richard,</DIV> <DIV>Take the action out!  Half way work will always come back to bite you on the posterior! Remember to control the sticker wires by removing the keys first and at minimum put newspaper between the wires and the rear of the keybed. A better alternative is a thin rope tied to the action brackets and looped in front of the stickers and tightened while pressing against the wires.  A pair of long forcepts helps to route the rope around the brackets 2-3 times so they will stay tight while you go on to the next section. Put each loop over the last to hold it tight. Use a slip-knot on the last one to save you time removing.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Remove the spring rail by loosening the screws and lifting it  between the hammers and the dampers.  Save and number any spacers between the brackets and the rail. Put wallpaper solution on the felt and use a small scraper to remove any remaining glue.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There are two methods of spring attachment that I know of:</DIV> <DIV>1. The springs are jammed down into thin grooves on the back of the rail under the felt.  Use the flat edge of the point of a pocket knife to pry them out.  Use a small thin-bladed screwdriver to press new ones into the groove.</DIV> <DIV>2. The spring is inserted into one hole and then back into another about a quarter inch away making a U in the wire.  This is the easiest system to redo because you can use a needle nose to pull the loop up snug in the mortice.</DIV> <DIV>Regardless of the type, you need use a two inch piece of coat-hanger wire threaded through the loops to keep the springs from turning on you to make a haphazard job.</DIV> <DIV>Before you re-insert the rail compare the angle of the spring to the ones you took out and bend them uniformly to have the same spring tension throughout. When you put the rail in have the springs pointing up so they don't snag  and then twist the rail so that they point between the hammers, then re-attach the rail.</DIV> <DIV>Good Luck,</DIV> <DIV>Warren</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Warren Fisher- Navy Retired - Slidell, Louisiana </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=richard.ucci@att.net href="mailto:richard.ucci@att.net"></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> 7/21/2005 7:43:15 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: butt springs</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV></DIV> <P>Thanks Terry,</P> <P>Actually, I did not want to pull the action on this turkey. I was toying with the idea of installing springs on a thin strip of wood and then glueing it in place.<BR></P> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message from "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>: -------------- <BR><BR> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2668" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Alan, that was cruel and uncalled for. Whitney, like all piano manufacturers space the butt springs one per butt! (It's the butts that are randomly spaced!)   ;-)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>That's all you get Rick until you give us more information! R U replacing the spring rail for some reason? Or just the springs. Perhaps this is the first time you have replaced this type of spring? If so, you may just not be aware that the springs are set into little holes in the spring rail - so no spacing efforts are needed - just remove old springs and replace with new ones in original holes. (You need to soak the felt to soften and remove the hide glue...... oh no - was a Whitney glued up with hide glue or will it be some ookey white crud.....?????)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>No doubt there is tons of info in the archives describing this job. I know there is good stuff in the PTG reprint articles - that's what I used the first time I did that job.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Whitney spinet, eh? Just use the same random spacing the factory used.... oh, wait, that was cruel.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>More seriously: Are these on a damper rebound rail in the usual configuration? Is the rail still usable?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Actually, I guess I don't really understand your question ... a little more detail, please ...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Alan Barnard</DIV> <DIV>Salem, Missouri</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></DIV></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"><FONT size=2> <DIV> Is there a standard distance for spacing hammer butt springs? I'm thinking of doing a gang replacement on a Whitney spinet .</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks,</DIV> <DIV>Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>  </body> </html>