WNG Dip Tool measuring the dip of a natural key relative to its neighbors.

Grand Regulation: Key Dip - Part 2

Key dip, the Articulator, specifies a note’s depth of stroke and resulting hammer rise. Along with blow distance, letoff, and other geometry, it fine-tunes aftertouch, the follow-through needed for good and comfortable execution of each note. It also lifts the backcheck to its work and the damper to clear its strings. 

Depth of stroke (dip) as a measurement relates to neighboring keys. But the depth of stroke needed to produce a specific hammer rise and aftertouch is a distance traveled, irrespective of neighbors. So, when we use a dip block or a WNG Dip Tool to set dip, our keys need to be level for our dip to be accurate.

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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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