filing the Steinway hammers (was Kissin)

A440A@aol.com A440A@aol.com
Wed Jan 10 07:26 MST 2001


 jon writes:

<<The older hammers filed with ease, was that due to shellac in the hammer or 
lacquer or a better hammer making process. I bet the later.>>

I generally autopsy hammers before I throw them away, and have cut open a lot 
of older Steinway hammers.  I don't see evidence of hardener in there before 
the 1950's.  I know,  they say that the hammers have always had a hardener 
put in them,  but I don't believe that.  A 1930 bass hammer, when cut open 
and the felt worked back and forth until it frays, doesn't seem to have 
anything in there at all, and soaking the pieces with alcohol doesn't seem to 
change anything, which it would do if there was shellac imbedded in the felt. 
 
  I think the new hammers are made from felt that is cut poorly, allowing the 
felting layers to be so non-continuous that when taken out of the cauls, any 
attempt to shape them will, like as not, follow a "grain" line directly into 
the hammer instead of following the contour around the edges.  I remember the 
Yamaha hammers of the the late '70's vintage doing much the same thing, even 
though they were harder to begin with.  Anybody else got ideas?  
   I don't mind adding lacquer to the new Steinway hammers before I do 
anything else,  I haven't seen a new set in years that didn't ultimately need 
more than I thought possible.  Our new ones at Vanderbilt have the professors 
gnashing teeth,(after all this IS Gnashville!), and bewailing the deadness of 
their new pianos.  I have been holding back adding any more lacqer, hoping 
that a semester or two will bring the hammers up, but I had to harden one set 
on the direct request of a teacher.  I hardened the shoulders with two 
eyedropper fulls of the 4:1 and it made a little difference.  She was 
thrilled.  I hope that it will just speed up the break-in and not leave us 
with a real twanger next year. 
Regards, 
Ed Foote 



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