In response to Marc Goodman who asked, "The keys have a little
side-to-side wiggle, but no rattles.  Is it important to re-bush the
keys or just to rotate the metal guide posts that the keys ride on?"

A "tiny" amount of side to side wiggle is ideal and too much is not
good for hand playing.  Turning the front rail pins may result in too
much wear and compression (damage) to the wood of the front rail
mortise.  If you are going to rebuild the action, you should rebush the
keys in my view.

It may not be worthwhile to rebush the key mortises yourself if this is
your first and gonna be only time.  There are people advertising in the
Piano Technicians Guild Journal who say they specialize in piano key
services and would rebush both rails for $140.  To have your local
piano technician rebush the keys could be double the price of sending
them out.  Hopefully you can find that skilled "shop technician" who
many of your local piano technicians farm their key bushing work out
to.

Briefly, here is what rebushing key mortises entails.

1. Remove the old key bushings (I use wallpaper remover to help in this).

2. Clean the bushing mortises removing remaining material.

3. Measure the rail pins with a micrometer.

4. Select a key caul that is only a few thousandths larger than the front
rail pin.

5. Select a thickness of bushing cloth that when inserted into the mortise
along with the caul is a snug but not a tight fit.

6. Carefully place glue on both sides of the key mortises.

7. Place bushing felt over the key mortises and use the "Bush Master",
available from Piano Tek Supply Co., to both size and cut the felt.

8. After the glue is dry, trim the bushing felt.

9. Re-insert keys and ease them where necessary.  If keys are rebushed
without enough good judgment, care and precision, you could be in for
a very frustrating "sticking key" experience.

I can rebush all key mortises (front and center rails) in about four
hours.  I charge $160 to many local technicians for key bushing work.
I have key clamps, many different sized brass cauls, many different
thickness' of bushing felt, specialty bushing tools, a fully equipped
shop and experience with what materials, tools, techniques work and
which don't.

Bill Maguire