Hi Paul, To me this sounds like a friction issue. Here are a few thoughts. 1. Check the key friction carefully with the stack off. Put a lead or two on the distal side of the key to balance out the front leads and SLOWLY move the key up and down to feel for friction. Make sure there is a slight amount of wiggle at the front pins. Confirm that the key drops down of its own weight when lifted up on the balance rail pins. 2. confirm that your hammer flanges are below 2g and your rep flanges are below 4g. 3. brush and profelt the rep cushions. Polish the capstans and key pins. 4. If you have already controlled these friction points your problem is probably at the knuckle to rep lever interface. Take out those old reps and sand the top of the lever where the knuckle contacts it. Make sure to get the top of the jack as well. Use 220 and follow up with 600 grit. Then paint on some Dag or McLube 1708. If you don't have that stuff us a stick of graphite or a pencil. Be sure to burnish it in with a metal rod until it has a mirror finish. I use my capstan wrench. 5. Now check your DW and UW. Be sure to lift the hammers on either side of the one you are testing so you are sure they are not rubbing. For DW, shoot for 51g or so in the bass tapering up to 46g or so in the high treble. Keep the UW around 24g throughout- not more. When done quickly recheck DWs with all hammers down to find any rubbing hammers. 6. I am sure you will wind up taking a significant number of leads out of those keys. If you are not sure how you are doing in the inertia department weigh the keys by balancing them at the middle rail hole and weighing the fronts. When you are done the front weights will taper from around 40g in the bass to around 10g in the high treble. 7. That is a great feeling action and you can do it without resorting to geometry changes or touchweight gizmos. It will take a whole day but when it is done it is done. Hope this works for you! Ted Kidwell, RPT California State University, Sacramento Capistrano Hall, rm. 153 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6015 916.278.6737 -----Original Message----- From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul Milesi, RPT Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 1:54 PM To: PTG CAUT List Subject: [CAUT] Down Weight Too High With New Hammers I installed pre-hung S&S hammers on the '70 S&S D, forced to use original repetitions because of budget considerations. With the regulation only "roughed in," the down weight feels too high to me when I play it. Now I find it's measuring in the range of 55-60 grams throughout. I have addressed friction in every area except removing and cleaning repetitions. I can't believe rep spring grooves, etc., would make that much of a difference; they don't seem that bad. The new hammers are hung on NY improved shanks with knuckle further out. I compared hammer/shank/flange #44 from the original and new sets, and there is, if I remember correctly, about a 2 gram difference. But the originals are so beat, I don't know if it's a very meaningful comparison. Would mixing original 1970 reps with NYI H/S/F cause the geometry to be that different? I was told by David Kirkland that I could "make it work," although using older repetitions wasn't first choice. I know the hammer weight changed in 1984, but understood that using NYI shanks and flanges would be all the compensation that was needed for the additional weight. By the way, the upweight measures roughly 28-30g. Also a little high, no? And it seems to me there's a lot of lead in the keys, but I'm definitely no expert. Doesn't this imply a somewhat too-heavy hammer? I don't mean to be taking any shortcuts here, but there are time constraints and a balance/compromise that must be struck with all the other instruments I'm responsible for. This one is starting to drown me. Just wondering if this touchweight issue is common when putting new hammers on a Steinway D from this period, and if there is a typical or common remedy or approach to solving the problem. This is only my 3rd set of hammers, and my first set completely on my own. I'm thinking of attending the PTG hammer hanging class with Mike Carraher and Keith Bowman in October. Any thoughts on whether I'll learn skills in addition to hanging (determining bore angle, etc. and boring hammers, I assume?) that might help me fix this? Will they address how to arrive at final touch weight? I want to learn! Guess I should contact Mike or Keith. OK, now I've exposed my near-total ignorance in this area and am embarrassed. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. -- Paul Milesi, RPT Staff Piano Technician Howard University Department of Music Washington, DC
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