Hi Stan, I would work on the friction first. Check the flanges for about 6 swings and if tight try Protek and/or repin. Try a sample and see if you can bring the friction down. That might give you a little better downweight. Your upweight is nice and high so removing wood from the molding with a 1" belt sander will do wonders for whatever is left after the friction work. Good luck, David Ilvedson Date sent: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 21:08:52 -0500 (CDT) To: pianotech@ptg.org From: stan@pianoexperts.mb.ca (Stan Kroeker) Subject: Steinway Touchweight Problem Send reply to: pianotech@ptg.org > Hi, all! > > Problem: Early 60's vintage Steinway 'L', with original teflon wippens and > recently replaced (by someone else) shanks and flanges. Parts are from > Steinway and are 15 mm knuckle execution. Downweight now in the high 60's, > upweight in the high 20's, action weight in mid 40's and friction in high > teens. Action spread ranges from 113 to 114 mm. > > I have no way of knowing what size the original hammers were but tried a > sample from a recent rebuild. This admittedly well-worn Steinway hammer > and shank was placed in its original location (A49) on my client's action > and the touchweight came back to a more acceptable 52 (D) and 25 (U). > > The new hammers are noticeably larger than the old 'stand-in' and the tails > are 3/16" longer (at drop position the bottom of the tails are about 3/16" > below the tops of the backchecks). > > Am I correct in assuming I have excessive weight on the hammers? Any > wisdom in shortening the tails to correct the relationship of tail to > backcheck? The backchecks themselves appear to be new but it is difficult > to know for sure. They are considerably larger than the backcheck Renner > includes in its sample parts kit. Would an excessively large backcheck > contribute appreciably to high action weight? > > Lots of questions here but the correct answers win a happy customer! > > Best regards, > > Stan Kroeker > Registered Piano Technician > > www.pianoexperts.mb.ca > > > David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA ilvey@jps.net
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