Happy New Year !!!!
I am trying to finish the regulation on a Hamilton grand but for some reason I can not get letoff close to the strings on many notes.
The original whippens are in the piano and are in good condition although it is difficult to adjust the rep springs which have a screw that can touch the knuckles if it too far from the balancier.
I had new hammers, shanks and flanges made from samples I sent and they sound great but the regulation is all over the place. I had to add punchings at the balance rail and front key pins since there was only 1 felt punching on each keypin. I also replaced all of the backchecks and
the hammer rebound rail .
The action screws down on the keybed with small blocks on the pins that are on the keyframe.
Perhaps I should replace the backrail cloth ?
There are 6 glider bolts located under the front action frame rail that are adjustable from under the keybed
These were screwed down all the way when I started however I brought them up using a feeler gauge and using the
measurement someone gave me in a prior thread I started on this piano.
The piano really was a mess when I started working on it and barely worked with no power or even response and had
no aftertouch.
The capstan screws are the Moore style that has slots in them making them hard to align with capstan tools . I have cranked them up from when I first started . I also re-pined some of the whippens to better support the weight of the new hammers and assist with repetition
Perhaps I need to look into shimming the action rail but maybe the rep lever springs are the culprit. I read an article about rep springs that had been bent improperly so that the tension needed to perform properly was lost. I also read a great article from the late Susan Graham about problems that come from action renovation due to felt issues.
I have used the case parts to get key height so the front bottoms of the key front do not come above the top of the key slip and there are no problems with the fall board.
What can I do to get the letoff to happen closer to the strings ? I am thinking of trying a swap out of a whippen and using one with a butterfly rep spring to test if it is the whippens.
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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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