bobbling hammers, again

[Kent Swafford]

Now what? Do it all again.

But this time keep in mind that the relationship between the tail and 
backcheck is critical. The difference between a well-shaped tail and a 
badly-shaped tail is very small -- unbelievably small. I came to a 
piano a year and a half ago to prepare it for an international piano 
competition and the whole section of bass hammers would not check 
correctly. The hammers had been installed by the best rebuilder that I 
personally know. They didn't work -- at all; but it took only a few 
minutes with a sandpaper paddle to change the shape enough to get them 
all working just fine.

I don't mean to minimize the other suggestions you have received here.  
I was particularly intrigued by the suggestions from Ron O.

Actually, perhaps by now you have already solved the problem.

Don't look at whole sections and conclude each hammer/backcheck is 
correct just because they appear similar as you sight down the section. 
Look at one hammer that checks correctly and the one beside it that 
doesn't. Feel the shape of the tails. Find the difference. Or from the 
checked position, push a hammer (that checks correctly) down deeper 
into check, and then do the same with the one next to it that does not 
check correctly. Does the one that doesn't check really gradually 
encounter more resistance like it should as it is forced down, and do 
it the same as the one that works correctly?

The difference is there.

Kent



> I've shaped the tails, rough them up, and eliminated the cutting edge 
> at the bottom. I've adjusted the back checks up, down, in and out. Now 
> what?
>
> Wim

On Tuesday, September 30, 2003, at 08:57  AM, Wimblees@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 9/29/03 7:51:39 PM Central Daylight Time, 
> kswafford@earthlink.net writes:
>
> Don't try to make this into a mystery, Wim. It isn't.
>
> I read Ed's post rather differently than you. I'm not as nice as Ed, so
> I'll go ahead and suggest that he was gently telling you that on those
> 3 notes you do not have  tails with the proper radius and/or backchecks
> that are properly angled; if you did, they would work properly.
>
> This is a not an uncommon problem. You ask, "Why would one key/hammer
> work perfectly, and the next one, with all the same characteristics,
> not?" Obviously, they do not in reality have the same characteristics.
> Keep looking.
>
> Kent