[CAUT] Hammer Alignment

[Jim Harvey]

Jon Page wrote:

> I wouldn't say that I put stress on the shank while spinning them on.
>
> The shanks are knurled (slightly compressed) and I bore the holes
> 3 to 5 thousandths larger. Any repositioning is done while holding the
> shank with pliers so as not to stress the flange.
>
> I keep the burning-in to a minimum, any that need realignment usually
> get removed and reglued. I travel the shanks before installing hammers.

Jon, the replies about parts continuing to settle/season over time may 
be valid, but I'm not sure that shank stress during installation was the 
reference in the earlier replies. I feel you are the type who likely 
uses hide glue, especially for grand hammer installs. If that's right, 
then this reply is off the wall except for purposes of clarity.

The group of kindred spirits at LA City Schools found out a long time 
ago about the effect of putting hammers on with Titebond and doing the 
ritualistic (dare I say fun) job of spinning the hammers on to generate 
a good joint (okay glue collar too). They determined that while the job 
looked great initially, there was a lot of correction needed a couple 
days after the job.

That was due to the Titebond (in this case) continuing to cure, and as 
the carrier dissipated, the hammers would return to the "favored" 
position, that position depending on who did the install, whether they 
spun left or right handed, etc.. The condition can be likened to tuning 
a unison perfectly, but leaving the tuning pin in a torsional state.

I should also mention that we went through hammers on a par with paper 
towels. The first time around, the shanks, flanges and knuckles would 
usually be okay for hammers only. By the second time, the knuckles and 
centers would be getting tired, and everything would be replaced, so we 
didn't care about retrievability by using hide glue.

Although I never tried it, I was later told that one could pour out a 
representative quantity of Titebond in a dish and let it sit out for a 
day prior to using it, and that the resulting evaporation would be 
sufficient for hanging without so much extra work.

Sorry if this is old news, but some of the replies seemed to be pointing 
towards this.

Jim Harvey