Hammer Rest Felt and Adjustment Question

[Ben Henny]

I'm going to replace the hammer rest cushion on an old Howard grand, and I 
can't find the definitive answer regarding how much the hammer shanks should 
be touching the felt. Currently, the felt on the rest looks like 5mm felt 
that has been fluffed up - for a softer landing, I guess - and there are 
grooves where the shanks fall and rest. The shanks actually land on the 
rest.

>From what I've read, the shanks shouldn't actually "rest" on the hammer rest 
but should hover above it by a few millimeters. Can anyone confirm that this 
is correct? Is the felt there just to catch any flex that would cause a 
shank to touch the hammer rest?