filing the Steinway hammers (was Kissin)

David Ilvedson, RPT ilvey@jps.net
Wed Jan 10 23:24 MST 2001


I just juiced this set I'm working on and they now are fileable...what comes
off is more powdery but no hunks...

David I.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Page" <jonpage@mediaone.net>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 5:17 PM
Subject: Re: filing the Steinway hammers (was Kissin)


> At 09:23 AM 01/10/2001 -0500, you wrote:
> >  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?
>
> With my generally limited knowledge of the hammer making process, could it
> be that
> the felt is not 'shaken' into the horizontal mass as years ago and rely
> more on presses?
> Old hammers have a nice 'peel' and new ones don't, what has changed?
>
> The main reason I use hardener before filing is poor layering and felt
> pulling out.
> One tech here put it, "I think they're made out of old diapers".
>
> Regards,
>
> Jon Page,   piano technician
> Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
> mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>



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