hammer felt repair

[Tvak@AOL.COM]

Just tuned an Estey over 110 years old.  I also had to repair a broken hammer 
shank on G7.  The hammer looked like someone had laid an extra layer of felt 
over the top.  The raised layer was about 1/8" thick and extended from 9 
o'clock to 3 o'clock.  In fact all the hammers in the top octave were the 
same.  This was NOT a steam job, although that was my first thought, because 
steam voicing will raise the felt up, but this was perfectly even.  Even in 
height (steam always looks a little bumpy) and perfectly even at the ends of 
the layer, which was a perfectly straight line. 

Could this have been a repair job on hammers which had worn through to the 
wood?  I've never heard of such a thing but then that doesn't mean alot.  

If this type of repair doesn't exist, why not?  I could envision a strip of 
felt which would fit over the top of the hammer and be glued in place.  Maybe 
it wouldn't be hard enough, or have enough tension but would it be better 
than wood? 

Just wondering,
Tom Sivak