I won't presume to have the experience you CAUTS have, but I attended "Steinway School" a few years back, and we spent a lot of time voicing Steinway hammers. Basically the class was to show us that you could NOT ruin a Steinway hammer. The preferred method was to take a pint of acetone and dissolve a keytop in it. Pour the juice over the strike point. You could even saturate the hammer if you wanted, just to prove their point. The needling was done at the strike point as well. Recently a client of mine purchased a new Steinway grand, and it sounded so wimpy as to be muddled. One drop of Supertone on the strike point showed every flaw in the tuning! I needled the strike point only with my Yamaha voicing tool about 6-7 pokes per hammer - never toucing the shoulders. The piano now has some "attitude" without sounding clanging. If the piano needs more power, then I "shoe-shine" with 300 grit paper. This is the method used at STeinway Hall the their concert venues. Just my two cents worth. Carol Beigel, RPT
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