Impact Hammer reply

[Joseph Garrett]

I use an impact hammer for pitch raising some of the nasty stuff I work on.
I find that string breakage is reduced. (Seems that way, anyway). I have
tried to fine tune with one, but I believe the learning curve is too long to
justify using it, as I don't see the need. If I were troubled by Tendentious
or possible other muscle problems, I think I would be more inclined to
refine my use of  it. I also use a Hale Speed Tuning Hammer for those times
when I'm dealing with "Accu-twist", super tight tuning pins. My Regular
tuning hammer is the Hale Rosewood/adjustable, (Which I never adjust!). With
many combinations of heads and tips, this setup has served me well. Oh, I
forgot, I do have a Ford "Shorty" that is fixed with a thin wall tip, for
those occasional close tuning pins, etc. This hammer is very good for
dealing with real loose pins, as it is much lighter than my other hammers.
Finally, for my Square Grand and Bird-Cage work, I use my collection of
"antique hammers, (mostly very Olde Hale Hammers and tips). As the size of
the olde Hale hammers were different and the tips were sized different, this
special tuning kit gets me from size #1 (No, not #1/0), to size #7 Tuning
pins, also including the dreaded "Oval" tuning pins.
Well, there you have it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no one
tuning Hammer does it all.
There is a tuner in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, that uses the
Impact tuning hammer exclusively. He has a very good tuning reputation.
Incidentally, he will be giving a class on that very subject for the
upcoming Pacific Northwest Regional, this coming week. Oh, his name is Don
Simmonson. He has an e-mail address, which is: K7DRZ@mindspring.com . He's
an all around good guy and would probably be willing to give you some
pointers.
Best Regards,
Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)