Hello MMD.  I am sitting at my computer, suffering from serious
frustration.  Rest assured that it is not the type of frustration
discussed ad nauseam in 'Agony Aunt' columns in magazines and
newspapers -- mine is pianolistic frustration.

After my fourth recovering of the accordion pneumatics in my Steck
Half Duo-Art, the player action is ready to go back into the piano.
In fact, I have had it in and out of the piano a large number of times
in the past couple of months, and I know that everything is working.
My problem is with the piano.

My piano tuner, whom I have known for at least thirty years, came over
about a month before Christmas to give the Steck a final tune before
action insertion.  It did indeed feel a bit like a NASA orbital
adventure.  However, my friend observed that the hammer stroke was too
large; it was slightly over 2 inches.  He is trying to retire and go
sailing, so he didn't want to undertake a major overhaul of the piano
action.  Instead, he issued me with a set of instructions, which
I endeavoured to follow.

I inserted little blocks of thick, stiff, piano felt at the top of each
of the four action brackets.  This moved the hammer rail forwards and
reduced the hammer travel to very close to 1 inch.  That was good but
it also raised all the stickers, resulting in more than generous lost
motion between the stickers and the brass capstans at the back of the
piano keys.  To my relief, I was able to eliminate this lost motion
without having to unscrew the capstans so far that they fell out of the
piano keys; they still feel quite tight.

The key dip remained close to 3/8 inch; it's not perfect but it's
pretty close.

Next I tackled the back checks; this wasn't very easy without a proper
set of tools but I've got most of the hammers to check at about 5/8
inch.  About five of the keys, however, would not check unless the back
check wire was pushed so far forwards that the hammer checked
dangerously close to its string(s).

Worst of all is note no. 31.  On soft playing it does not check at all;
instead it flops forwards after its initial strike and bounce back, and
blubbers against the strings.

My tuner friend has been back and improved things but he hasn't fixed
that blubbering note.  He suspects that the piano action was never set
up properly.  He is the tuner for the local symphony orchestra, so he
should know what he's talking about.

I don't believe that this is a problem with a worn-out piano.  I don't
think it has ever been used very much; most of the felts look brand-new
and there is almost no corrosion anywhere.

My troubles seem to have started when I reduced the hammer travel.
It's an English Steck.  Mike Boyd has suggested that it may be a Weber,
one of a batch of Weber Half Duo-Arts that the UK branch of Aeolian
sent to Australia and changed the name on the plate, for unknown
reasons.  The name casting does seem to have been stuck on the plate.

I'll be grateful for any comments on the above.

John Phillips in Hobart, Tasmania