Hammer Softener

[David C. Stanwood]

Hi Bill,

The Recipe I used was 10cc of water to a Gatorade jar full of Denatured
alchohol.
(That's the smallest size gatorade jar).  We used to heat the solution in a
glue pot and apply it hot with a syringe.  The heat activates the effect of
the water on the wool.
Allow to dry overnight.

Steam is quicker.

David C. Stanwood
=20
>From: Bill Ballard <yardbird@sover.net>
>To: pianotech@byu.edu
>Subject: Re: Hammer Softener

>Michel Lachance <chance@InterLinx.qc.ca> rote:
><<Pianophile (Montr=E9al) sells a hammer softener that has some=20
>efficiency.  The solution looks to me as being a mixture of water and=20
>alcohol.  Does anyone know the receipe?>>
>
>David Stanwood was talking about this back in '90. The Alc breaks the=20
>surface tension of the water so that the water can enter the wool and=20
>swell the fiber matting. The Pianophile recipe is probably nothing more=20
>than water and alc (with a dash of olive oil for happy hour).
>The proportion? Do this the same way you would in lacquering hammers. Let=
=20
>your experience tell you how much the tone needs to be moved, pick a=20
>sample hammer, and test a trial mixture to see if it can make the change=20
>in one dose. If you fall short or long of the mark, adjust the mixture=20
>accordingly before doing the rest of the hammers in the section. I never=20
>got "heavier" than 4:1, water :alc. I always let the hammer felt dry=20
>overnight. BTW, raise the temperature of the water to vapor level, and=20
>the hammers will be dry within minutes.
>
>