Prepare Well and Pay Attention

I have what might seem an odd first step suggestion for grand regulating: Pre-lift wire. This is a strategy to end up with no underlifted strings.

When a piano is newly strung, the steel wire, being stiff, takes rounded curves, not corners, as it passes bearing points. Each time the wire is pitch-raised it refreshes these curves a little, particularly at agraffes and Capo D’Astro bars. A conscientious technician will settle the wire and mate strings with hammers, a process well-known to us all. Touch hammer to unison strings, pluck the strings, and if any ring, lift the others with a stringing hook until all are equally muted.

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Tightening Centers without Disassembly and Safely Gang-Filing Straight-Bored Hammers

I employ the sharp point of a broach, inserting it in the bushing material, generally outside the assembled part, and turning it around the surface of an imaginary cone while applying pressure. I follow this with working the part to settle the spot I have just compressed. I can usually cut the swings of a grand hammer in half, if I want to, with stable results.
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