Help.... I am having a hard time trying to cure some blocking hammers on a Steinway D. The action needs a good overhaul but the owners just want it to be playable for now... I fixed a number of blocking hammers by adjusting letoff but there are 2 that I just can not seem to get from blocking the strings. There is no regulating screw on the jack so there is no way to line up the far side of the jack with the far side of the knuckle insert. Could it be that the felt in the repetition mortise is to far compressed/worn ? How thick should this rest felt be and where should the jack be at rest. The Steinway Technical Reference Guide that I have only show the adjustment for a fly/jack with a regulating screw and button. The tender or toes of the jacks keep getting loose because of dried glue and too much contact with the letoff button. ANY hints/help would be appreciated. The action really needs rebuild and major regulation but I have to make it work as is.

Jimbob,been there.At it's age,an action over-haul is the permanent cure.If the jack tenders are breaking,it;s time to tell the customer the long range out-look,and sway them to go for an action rebuild.Have you looked at the back action,it's got to be a mess.Anyway the felt in the rep window may a bit to thick,and needs to be reduced to enable the jack to trip out a bit further from the knuckle.This will also change the after-touch a bit,so you'll need to regulate keydip, drop,let-off and backcheck height again.Also check the felt on the letoff dowels for wear,this and the combination of the above is a classic symptom for let-off difficulty in the actions of Steinways of this vintage with old original parts.Time to rebuild.

Thanks Curry. I called a fellow tech tonight and he told me to get some longer letoff buttons due to the wear on the action. As a quick fix he told me to try gluing some action cloth on the letoff button. I agree that it is time for an action overhaul etc. Which felt are you suggesting to trim the one next to the top of the rep spring or the one at the drop screw end. Replacing the whippens with adjustable jacks would make life a lot easier next time around. I am returning to the battle in the morning.