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Wondering what I am missing to solve this problem.

Resurface keys and replace felt punchings on upright hobart-cable acoustic piano. When I went to return the keys, the action connection at the sticker/capstan screw became too tight, no room for movement (all keys). Removed the action. Redid the punchings with thinner version. Still no room. Previously replaced the bridle straps. They had all been eaten away.

I have returned the action to it's place by lowering into the 'action bracket into it's bolt' yet still there is not enough play for key movement.

Wondering what I am not understanding. This is my first attempt to rehab a piano. I have the book "Piano Servicing Tuning & Rebuilding" by Arthur A. Reblitz, which is useful and useless at the same time.

Thank you.

Are the jacks in front of the butt felts? If they are under them, which can happen if the bridle straps do not hold the wippens up high enough, then when you press the key, it just pushes the jack into the butt felt. Bend the bridle strap wires to adjust this.

What BDB said. The bridal tapes are too long / not adjusted tight enough. Look at the jacks.

Otherwise, something isn't right with that keyboard! :-)

One other possibility is that it used to be a player piano, and the lever that locks the keys up has been flipped. It probably is not the case, but I mention it in case someone else has this problem.

I think you might be correct in that the jacks and butt felts are not aligned correctly. However, simply adjusting the bridle strap does not appear to be the solution. I did pull the jacks to the front. That was the issue. But now some don't stay quite right, and the hammers(?) don't rest against the felt. I am beginning to understand the statement, 'an enormous number of possible adjustments'. Thank you for your help.

The jack tips need to be in front of the butt felt, not below it, and not so high that they touch the butt leather when the hammer shanks are on the hammer rail. The bridle strap wires are bent so that the straps hold the jacks at that level when the action is out of the piano.

When you replaced the bridle straps did you check the length of the new parts relative to the originals? When you hooked them up to the wire did you trip the jack forward and lift up the whippen before hooking on to the wire? Did you check to be sure that, at rest, the tip of the jack is in approx the center of the butt felt? I believe all of these are addressed in that book.

If you have now messed with the action rest bolts (if I am reading your post correctly) you may have adversely affected the strike point and compromised the damping action. Those bolts should never be changed (hardly ever). If I am mis-reading things then just ignore what I just said. But if I am not mis-reading then your situation may become very complicated.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor