balance rail bearings

[Robert A. Anderson]

Newton wrote:

"By standing the action on the back rail and protecting the stretcher
from the drop screws one can move the keys and bearings far enough to
see what is under the bearing and remove what is needed with a good
pair of forceps."

Newton, the bearing strip is 4 mm thick and butts up against the
bearings. Lifting the key and bearing as high as possible will only let
me see down the pin a fraction of a mm below the top of the strip. I
admit that I can fish for the punchings with my forceps and raise them
above the level of the strip, but I can only do this for the naturals. I
have a very good forceps, and I can't reach the punchings for the
sharps. There just isn't enough room. 

Newton also wrote:

"Steinway, or any manufacturer, is cheap and will not do anything they
do not have to do even if we do not always understand their
rationale.  DOn't mess with it unless you really understand it."

Manufactureres may be cheap, Newton, but the rest does not automatically
follow. I'll bet that you could find manufacturing practices that are
only done by tradition or that manufacturers might have psychological
commitments to keep going. For example, balance rail bearings themselves
are not cheap, but I have never been personally told by anyone that they
could tell the difference in touch between a key with the bearing and
one without the bearing. (I can't tell the difference.) I've noticed
hearsay evidence that the bearings are better, and it makes a good
marketing story for S&S. But I'm not convinced.

Newton also wrote:

"The strips are their to prevent the bering from twisting."

This is the logical explanation for the strips. As I wrote, I'll find
out how much twisting is going to happen, now that I've removed the
front strip. I'll report back with my observations. Can I assume that
your statement is one of logical inference, Newton, or have you really
taken out the strip and observed twisting? I can certainly twist loose
bearings easily enough, but they shouldn't be loose. I've had to size
bearing holes that were loose to the point of making noise. I find them
tedious to work with, and I'm sorry S&S uses them at all.

Am I just inept at this levelling procedure or has anyone else
experienced my problem? 

Bob Anderson
Tucson, AZ