fingerprints

[Fred S. Sturm]

A couple comments below:

Isaac OLEG wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'd suggest that you don't file the hammers if you feel they need to
> be replaced.
> Doing that you will be stuck with worn hammers for a longer time ,
> sell the good job first.
>
> If you can't tune because too large groves just break the angles,
> anyway never file a hammer to the point you don't see the old grooves
> anymore.
>
> If you don't mate hammers back to stings after filing you will have
> trouble, so it is not a so simple job.

On the other hand, if you tighten the action screws (or if they have been
tightened before), and the spacing of a few hammers shifts just the
slightest bit, then you have a horribly uneven sound where, say, every
third hammer is grazing the sides of the grooves. I think I prefer filed
hammers that haven't been mated to the sound of grooves that aren't quite
centered on the strings. And there's also a question of whether the
hammers are well-centered on the strings (or consistently to one side, if
you perfer). Often neglected pianos will have several hammers that miss
one string entirely, or just barely touch it. A good filing job is a
prerequisite to lining the hammers up to the strings.
    Nothing is simple. You need to assess the situation and decide.

> >snip<
>
> Isaac OLEG

Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico