Hammer bore question

[A440A@AOL.COM]

Travis asks:
> I can only hope does not mean putting the action back in the piano to >solve
the problem,
>but that would appear to be the logical procedure, in which case I will
> need to know dimensions of where the hammers strike the strings.

      Sorry, you will have to measure the hammers to the strings in the piano.
The reason is that the distance from keybed to string varies in these
instruments, and also,  the strings are not necessarily parallel with the
keybed.   It is common in Steinways to see the top two octave's stringing
going up from the capo bar to the bridge.  Even if you have the difference
correct between string and hammer flange pin,  the meeting of the hammer to
string will not be at 90 degrees. 
    The only sure way I've found to insure that at contact the string and
hammershank are parallel and the hammer is at 90 degrees to both is to hang a
few hammers of varying bore length, making sure the hammer axis is exactly 90
degrees to the shank, and then putting these trials in the piano to be measure
against a small square that is extending down through the strings.  If the
line on the side of the hammer is square to the string, that is the correct
bore length. 
    Sometimes, due to excessive draft angle,  it is necessary to slightly tip
the hammers at the very top octave to prevent excessively short  boring
distance in an attempt to square the hammer to the string.  You don't want the
shanks way up off the rest, which will affect your ability to regulate as well
changing the relative starting positions of the arcs described by the knuckle
and whippen.  
 
Regards/. 
Ed Foote