<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html>   "Charles E. Faulk" wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Hi Phil,   There's a lengthy article on wippen support springs on the RennerUSA web page by Chris Robinson. You might want to read it. He even suggest removing key weights and letting the springs determine the touch weight.   <a href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives"></a> </blockquote> Of course the problem with this idea, is that springs do not in reality determine touchweight, they only alter touchweight gradient.  The assist spring simply applies an upwards force which remains a constant.... say 20 grams. Now if you are using 50 grams of force for a very quite touch then this 20 grams counts for something...  about 30 % of the total lifting force of 70 grams... if however you are playing hard and apply a force of say 200 grams... then suddenly this spring is only helping your finger our with 10 % of the work.  And as you get into really heavy play the spring has even less effect. The only things that really change the touchweight per se, are the ratio of the action and the weight on the capstan vs the counterbalancing in the key. Not that the change in the touchweight gradient is necessarilly a bad thing mind you... but changing that is something different then changing touchweight itself. Just food for thought RicB -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A> <A HREF="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A> <A HREF="http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html">http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html</A>  </html>