I need to take the action out on my 1930 Mason and Hamlin Grand to retrieve a couple of pencils that have fallen there.
I use to have a Yamaha whose action was easily removed. I cannot figure out how to take the Mason's out. It's either extremely heavy or attached in a certain way unlike the Yamaha's.
I don't want to damage anything so I would appreciate some input.
Thank you.

I've posted this before. You remove the keyslip by sliding it straight up. You remove the two screws that hold the cheekblocks in place from under the keybed. You carefully remove the fallboard and cheekblocks, making sure the cheekblocks don't fall off the hinges. Steinways are exactly the same, except that you have to be even more careful the cheekblocks don't fall off.

Don't remove the action unless you know what you are doing. Do all of this at your own risk. If you are unsure of yourself, get a professional to do it for you. Your piano probably needs tuning anyway!

Hello Mr SemiproTech,

Thank you for taking the time to respond.
You are correct; you posted an answer about a similar topic before and I was the one with the question at the time.
Last time it was about a cracked key, a problem that still remains; I've gone out of my way to find out what the best approach would be and you were correct the first time, replacing the key would be difficult and expensive, it must be repaired.
Now, the issue is just a couple of things that fell behind the fall board and onto the action.
As you must know, if you only take the steps you described above but not pull the action out you do not have visual access to whatever might have fallen there. They rattle around and I am afraid eventually a pencil fragment will wedge itself between the keys maybe causing damage.
Your instructions, although very much appreciated, do not address the very question I posted which is whether the action in this particular piano is attached to the bed or just very heavy, hence rendering it difficult to pull out to remove the debris.
Calling a "professional" in the area where I live, in South Florida, it's a roulette game. Everybody here is a roofer, an electrician or piano tuner. Believe me, I have enough stories to last me a lifetime.
I have trained with a true professional here for a while in order to tune my own piano ( because I was not happy with the results, the "stretch" that those people were using) and it actually works for me. I aid my basic tuning skills with a program called Ciber Tuner. The gentleman who helped me has grown very ill so I cannot use him for anything else.
There are a couple of people here that work on the pianos for the Symphony but they are extremely busy and outrageously expensive.I would only use them when there is no alternative.
I understand relatively well how a piano works but of course, I am not a professional as I suspect you are, neither have I ever owned a Mason and Hamlin (or Steinway) before.
So you are correct in a way; I should be able to call a pro to help with this problem but since one is not at hand and the issue is a couple of pencils rattling there, I would like to know if the action can be pulled out after following the steps you very kindly recommended which I had already printed the first time.
The reason for the lengthy explanation is to make sure you understand I am not just trying to waste someone's valuable time or simply seeking free advice.
Thank you for your time and patience. Oscar Silvera.

As BDB described, after removing the key slip, the fallboard and the cheek blocks the action should just slide out and yes, it is heavy. Be very careful to make sure you don't press any keys down while pulling it out or you can break hammers off. I have a M&H BB and pull the action whenever I need to. They simply slide in and out but might seem to 'catch' when first tugging on them. Grasp the left and right side, being VERY careful NOT to press any keys while doing this and gently slide it toward you. If it is too heavy for you, have someone available to take one side and remove to safe place and have them assist you to get it back in place to re-install. Of course, while the action is out of the case, you can clean the inside and remove the pencils, paper clips, etc., and then re-place the action. Good luck!

Gee, everyone a roofer, electrician or piano tuner? No wonder the qualified one's are so busy and so expensive!! South Florida, Here I Come!!

All good advice, just want to mention one more thing. Sometimes a grand action can hang up on something like the una corda lever. I reach in and grab the two middle action brackets and try to raise the action a smidgen, and then try pulling forward.