Another issue should be mentioned. Steam or softening solutions can cause the hammer felt to split if 1) The hammer has been heavily needled, especially down through the strike point or with glover's needles 2) The hammer felt has been flattened and pounded between the wooden moulding and the strike point so that fibres are breaking (think of worn high treble hammers) So it is always good to start with a light test of your intended method, then look carefully to see all is going well. Ed S. -----Original Message----- >From: Annie Grieshop <annie at allthingspiano.com> >Sent: Apr 5, 2007 10:12 PM >To: ed440 at mindspring.com, Caut <caut-bounces at ptg.org> >Subject: RE: [CAUT] Experiment Success - second thought > >Ah, the shoulders. Thank you for reminding me, as I tend to focus on materials and forget about design. > >Century-old hammers have so much cardboard in their character that I figure there is no hope for them, but I'm certainly willing to try almost anything that might help. I have not tried treating "dusty" hammers -- the ones that are so dry that bits of them flake off -- but I will. > >I reshaped and alcoholed the hammers on a much younger Acrosonic today, and the owner was able to play Chopin with something similar to the appropriate sound. It won't last, of course, but he's happy right now! > >Annie Grieshop > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: ed440 at mindspring.com [mailto:ed440 at mindspring.com] >> Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 8:20 PM >> To: annie at allthingspiano.com; College and University Technicians >> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Experiment Success - second thought >> >> >> New hammers have resilient shoulders. The flexible shoulders >> help to produce a spectrum of timbres. >> >> Worn hammers like you describe don't really have any "springs" >> left. You can soften the surface to produce a less bright tone, >> and that's about all you can do. >> >> Spray with alcohol and water. >> >> File to make them as round as you can. >> >> Needle from the side, close to the surface to open a top layer of felt. >> >> Brush gently with a wire brush. >> >> Ed Sutton >> >
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