[CAUT] Weikert felt; was 80 year old S&S hammers

[David Love]

I have installed Ronsen Bacon felt hammers on a Fandrich light weight design
and needed nothing but some fine filing.  Years later now those hammer are
still great on that board and without the ever hardening lacquer syndrome.
The Steinway lacquered hammers that I've tried on those boards simply, for
whatever reason, don't work well and even the Wurzens needed more needling
than I preferred.  I've since pushed up the rib scaling just slightly and
lowered the EMC just a bit to give a bit more hammer tolerance.
Nevertheless, the low tension, lightweight designs with Bacon hammers are a
good match.

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan
McCoy
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 4:23 PM
To: College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Weikert felt; was 80 year old S&S hammers

Hi Jim,

I just installed a Del Fandrich designed, Terry Farrell made and ribbed
board. This is a very flexible board with a lighter than Ron Nosman rib
scale and it's a tapered board (9mm max in places to 6mm min in places). I
won't be rebuilding the action until next summer. So I had a chance to hear
it with the old hammers. Those hammers on the S&S board were voiced fairly
mellow - not too dark, not too bright. But it was not an inspiring sound. On
Del's board they are so bright and pingy and I cannot kill them. I've tried!
:-) This is a very lively board. We've had several guest recitals and they
have been drawn to this board even given its current too-bright sound. I
think it is the liveliness and vitality that attracts over the other D,
which is still an amazingly nice 100 year old.

I will be using Ronsen Bacons on it. Reports to follow in a few months. The
last set of Ronsen Bacon hammers I installed (last summer) were very good -
consistent thickness and hardness (or softness, your choice) and weight.
They were firmer than the same hammer from several years back, but still
needing hardener. But on Del's design? I can well imagine not needing
lacquer.

Alan


> From: Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu>
> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>"
<caut at ptg.org>
> Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:33:40 -0600
> To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" <caut at ptg.org>
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Weikert felt; was 80 year old S&S hammers
> 
> Ron, Alan,
> 
> I haven't seen a lot written on this. Does this mean that, let's say, a
"hot
> pressed" hammer vs. the so called cold pressed would go better on a CC
board
> vs RC&S? Or that one of your boards will sound best with a certain hammer,
but
> the same hammer wouldn't on another board? When I replace hammers I know
some
> sound better on certain pianos by trial and error, but what is the science
> here, for us non-scientific types? Or at least some guidelines?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Jim Busby
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron
> Nossaman
> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 9:43 PM
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Weikert felt; was 80 year old S&S hammers
> 
> David C. Stanwood wrote:
>> Hi Alan,
>> 
>> And the weight of the hammers is a fundamental factor as well.
>> 
>> David Stanwood
> 
> Absolutely, within the limits established by the *type* and
> specific design of the board.
> Ron N
> 
>