String level and hammer level

[David ilvedson]

> Date:          Mon, 13 Apr 1998 22:23:12 -0700 (MST)
> From:          "Jim Coleman, Sr." <pianotoo@IMAP2.ASU.EDU>
> Subject:       String level and hammer level
> To:            pianotech@ptg.org
> Reply-to:      pianotech@ptg.or

Jim and List,

I was reading over your great article on string level & Hammer 
level and I wanted to plug Chris Greggs "Hammer Fitting Block" 
instead of 1/4" and 1/8" strips mentioned below.  The tool is 
well made and does the job much more easily IMHO than strips!

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA
> For gentle filing, prepare two strips of the same grit paper which
> you used in gang filing (medium grit?) which are 1/8" and 1/4" wide
> respectively. If a hammer is high in the middle, use the 1/8" strip
> to shoe-shine the center of the hammer. This way you maintain the
> smooth curvature of the hammer. Do not overdo this because then
> you will have to take down the two sides and this hammer will be
> brighter than its neighbors. If the Bass or treble side of the 
> hammer is high, you can use either strip, the 1/8" will slip off
> the side too easily. If the center and one side are too high, the
> 1/4" strip can take care of both string contacts at the same time.
> Be very careful to not overdo any operation here because, the gang
> filing helps provide even voicing throughout and if you overdo the
> individual string filing, one hammer will end up smaller than its
> neighbor and thus change the voicing.
> 
> You will need to do this last operation at least twice, probably 
> three times. So, you might as well get in a tuning or two. Then
> after each tuning, there will be a little more string leveling to
> do. But, it will go faster each time.
> 
> Some people have raised the question about the hammer string grooves
> evening out the string level. It just doesn't seem to happen. I
> just measured my strings with the felted block tonight, the strings
> need to be leveled again even though the string grooves in the
> hammers are indented a bit.
> 
> If one had not leveled the strings first and then found a hammer
> which needed to be filed slightly in the center, if the shift pedal
> is depressed, then the hammer would be out of level for the center
> and right strings. You can see how important it is to have level
> strings and level hammers.
> 
> Jim Coleman, Sr.
> 
>