Alcohol/water on hammers

[Larry Fisher]

Yo,

Someone wondered if the hammers should be dipped in this 50/50 solution of
alcohol and water.  No that's not how I apply it.  Don D at MSR suggests
totally soaking the hammer with the stuff.  I don't do that either.  YOU
can dip the hammer if you wish, along with your head .......  (duck).
Soaking the hammer is not a good idea either but you could soak your head
as well  .......  (duck again) but with all kidding aside, I use a hypo
bottle and run a small line right down the strike line of the hammer
followed by a hair dryer.  A little at a time gives me more control over
the results.  I've been doing this along with judicious needling using only
one needle in the voicing tool for many years now with fairly stable
results.  Most pianos only require this one more time with in the year or
by next tuning and the voicing remains in tact.  I've not had the
persistent reoccurance that some techs have indicated.  The bottom line is
to satisfy the piano owner and I don't do ANY voicing with out the owner or
player standing right there beside me or with in hailing distance.

I've had the same experience with the intro of the Silent Drive.  I've not
had a single volume complaint since.  I used to juice the hammers with
alcohol and water on every PDS installation just to knock down the attack
volume, but since the SD came out, I've got pianos going out of here that
whisper with out changing a thing on the hammers.

May all you Turkeys experience a most excellent but filling calm before the
storm.

Lar

 
                                    Larry Fisher RPT
   specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff
      phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com
         http://www.pacifier.com/~larryf/ (revised 10/96)
           Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water