I read with interest your explaination of grand action building philosophy, and working for a Baldwin dealer in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I've seen and measured some of the actions and ratios that you described. A few comments I have to make regarding field tech work... Moving capstans, knuckles and wippen rails in grand actions are not jobs to be undertaken lightly, that is, in a customer's home, with the expectation that the perfect action measurements can be achieved. That much is pretty well common knowledge (as it makes for a very long day) This does not mean that they should not be examined at all, however. A technician can quickly spot whether the capstans are centered under the wippen cushions, just where the jacks are placed at rest under the knuckle, and to what degree they are perpendicular to the hammer shanks. A great deal of heaviness and sluggishness can be eliminated through ensuring that these measurements are consistent, before more conventional techniques of regulation and key weighting are considered. As Frank Emerson pointed out, stick to the manufacturer's specifications regarding action geometry measurements, but if you find that these measurements (action spread, capstan centering, knuckle placement on the shank) are at best, inconsistent, or at worst, interfering with regulation and playing, see if the action could be modified (moveable rails, for example) and discuss the possibility with other technicians. One of these situations arose, and with the help of the technicians at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, we were able to make subtle but significant changes to the balance weight without moving 1 gram of lead, and the result improved the regulation dramatically. Replies, rebuttals, stories and enquiries welcome! Rob Kiddell Edmonton, Alberta Canada. kiddell@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
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