Kristinn, I would love to try a piece of codskin, but we only have salmon down here! Seriously though, where do you think I could get some? Diane >From: Kristinn Leifsson <istuner@islandia.is> >Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org >To: pianotech@ptg.org >Subject: Re: Research:leather covered hammers >Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 15:10:11 +0000 > >Hello Diane, I´m sorry for your loss. > >This research is very interesting. > >I have never, myself, seen a piano with leather covered hammers. Only the >OLD ones in the books. > >Since you were talking about the possibility of other materials... what >about... and I´m not making fun... appropriately treated cod-skin? >It´s actually becoming quite fashionable in market. Cod wallets, cod >boots...I even have skin cream that contains cod enzymes which is becoming >extremely popular and expensive. > >It sure would be interesting to hear about this if you tried it, at >least... > >Good luck, > >Kristinn > > > >At 03:50 17.12.2000 -0900, you wrote: >>List, >> >> This is a description of one of my current research projects and of the >>personal reasons it has become a vital interest to me at this time. >> >> I am 54, my partner is 67. I always knew he would probably die before >>me, but my feeble brain never realized that he might spend a long time >>before he did so in a state of not being able to work and needing my care, >>so that I frequently can't work either. I had a hint of that in 1993 when >>he had a heart attack, but he bounced back from triple bypass surgery very >>quickly and I stuck my head back into the sand again. Then last October >>he had a stroke and everything changed. >> >> Now we are very dependent on our fleet of rental pianos to pay our basic >>living expenses, which they almost do. But it is getting harder and >>harder to keep them up to the level of quality that I desire. Before my >>father and he would do the tunings in the home after they were delivered >>and I would do all the reconditioning in the shop and the bookkeeping for >>our businesses. >> >> So there I was shaping a set of hammers from a rental last night and >>remembering something I have wondered for years. Whenever I have rebuilt >>an antique grand with leather covered hammers, I have been amazed to see >>what good shape most of the hammers are in on 150 year old pianos--after >>removing the destroyed leather. Why I thought, couldn't there be some >>kind of covers for rental piano hammers? If there was something that >>lasted only half as long as those leather covered hammers I would be _way_ >>ahead. >> >> Meanwhile I have a customer who wants me to replace the leather on the >>hammers of his mid-19th century Bosendorfer. He wants it so bad that last >>time I tuned he produced a chamois that he had purchased for the purpose >>and asked me to cover them with it. We tried it on one hammer and it >>didn't sound any good. >> >> I now have a beautiful, soft, supple deerskin which sounded wonderful on >>the Pokorney we rebuilt last Christmas and am wondering about putting it >>on his hammers. Also there are questions about how to voice leather once >>it's on the hammers. >> >> Then there is the old Chickering upright that just came back from a >>rental customer which needs new hammers badly. It was restrung 10 years >>ago, but the hammers are fried. So I shaped them one last time and am >>going to cover them with deerskin to find out how they sound before >>replacing them. >> >> But is deerskin the best leather? Is there any other material that >>might be better than any leather? Would there be any material that would >>apply to the hammers easier and quicker? Would there be any material that >>could be put on the hammers temporarily to completely change the voicing >>for just one concert? Perhaps a material that could be clipped on for the >>rock concert and a different one for the classical concert? >> >> How could we measure the tonal differences of different materials? How >>would we know their life expectancy? How would we even find out about >>materials that might be just perfect but they are used to build private >>airplanes and we aren't even pilots, much less airplane manufacturers? >> >> These are questions I find interesting for their own sake and for the >>practical need I have in my business. I will pursue the research project. >>My guess is that there are many other such questions burning in others' >>brains. Can pianotech be a place where such research projects could be >>shared? >> >> Diane >> >> >>Diane Hofstetter >>245-M Mount Hermon Rd.#343 >>Scotts Valley, CA 95066 >>ph 831-438-6222 >>fax 831-430-9741 >>dianepianotuner@hotmail.com >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com >> > Diane Hofstetter 245-M Mount Hermon Rd.#343 Scotts Valley, CA 95066 ph 831-438-6222 fax 831-430-9741 dianepianotuner@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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