<HTML>List, My piano's been playing funny lately, ever since I put teflon powder on = the backchecks... April Fool's! But seriously, I have been dealing with graphite contamination in center= pins lately.  I've been "tuning" for a client for a year or so, but tu= ning is only a small part of my half-day visits.  Most of the appointme= nt time is spent repinning flanges in this new fairly Samick 150 grand with = PianoDisc.  To date, I've probably repinned 50 assorted whippen(sp.:-),= hammer, jack, and balancier centers, and even one damper flange(frozen soli= d, hanging damper).   The upside is that I've gotten really fast and efficient at doing this. =  The downside is getting phone calls the day before my big party, compl= aining of "sticky notes,"  and the associated emergency appointment at = 8:00 on Saturday morning. A few days ago, I got a call from a dealer I contract for.  He comp= lained of sluggishness in a Seiler 180 grand.  I figured that it just n= eeded key easing, as have several of the ones I've worked on.  Instead,= I found that the keys were fine for the most part, but the hammer centers o= n many of the notes, particularly in the middle of the piano, were really ti= ght.  I found graphite on the pins that I replaced.  I fear that t= his piano with Renner action will go the way of the Samick.  Interestin= gly, though, only the hammer centers in the Seiler are binding.  I'm ho= ping that the whippen and damper centers are free of the gunk, but I'm not h= olding my breath. I know I should do a blanket replacement of all pins, but it's up to the= owners to figure out how to pay for it.   Similar experiences, recommendations or suggestions are welcome Dave Stahl</HTML>