Steinway balance rail bearings

[Barbara Richmond]

Kent,

You can lift the felt and slice off some of the wood of the bearing to mimic 
the half-punching trick--more work than a strip of veneer.  The keytabs are 
not recommended for use with bearings.

Someone said to me once that the bearings increased pulley key syndrome.  I 
have no idea.  I have seen pulley keys on so many different kinds of pianos, 
that I can't offer any proof that bearings are a cause of that problem.

Barbara Richmond, RPT
near Peoria, Illinois

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kent Swafford" <kswafford at gmail.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 1:18 PM
Subject: Steinway balance rail bearings


>I don't recall Steinway (half-round) balance rail bearings being  discussed 
>on the lists anytime recently.
>
> What is the minimum thickness of paper punchings that should be put  under 
> the bearings to promote quiet operation?
>
> What are the arguments against these bearings -- besides the fact  that 
> they can be noisy, make the use of Rawson leveling tabs  problematic, and 
> make it difficult for Stanwood installers to tweak  the key ratio with 
> veneer shims?
>
>
> Kent Swafford