Dremmels on hammers was RE: mini belt sander for filing hammers

[David Ilvedson]

David,

What is your criteria for filing?   When you file frequently do also fit hammers/strings...maybe only on the concert instruments?   Do you find you need to even out the voicing after a light filing or is the voicing stable...?   Do you use the Dremmel for light filing or ?

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, California


----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt@mail.smu.edu>
To: tune4u@earthlink.net, Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: 10/11/2005 4:12:19 PM
Subject: RE: Dremmels on hammers was RE: mini belt sander for filing hammers


>Alan:

>I've used a plug in - but variable speed - Dremel on hammers.  It is
>particularly nice for radical reshaping.  The secret is practice and
>non-aggressive sanding drum.  I've been known to wear the sand paper out
>a little on a stone or something so it's not as aggressive.  I also
>recommend practicing on a set of hammers you're going to replace so that
>if you do take a divot it's on a set you're going to throw away anyway.
>I use a strip of Emory cloth for final filing.  In my work at the school
>now I try to file hammers frequently enough that I don't have to do
>radical shaping.

>dp

>David M. Porritt
>dporritt@smu.edu

>-----Original Message-----
>From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
>Behalf Of Alan Barnard
>Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:12 PM
>To: dnereson@4dv.net, Pianotech
>Subject: Dremmels on hammers was RE: mini belt sander for filing hammers

>David said: "I've never been able to control a sanding drum on a Dremel
>precisely enough to do a nice job -- it's too easy to take a big divot
>out
>of the hammer, the rpm's are too high, you can't get the bottom side of
>the
>hammers on vertical actions without removing all the damper levers, and
>it's extremely hard to take off just one layer of felt"

>You can use a Dremmel comfortably if you buy the battery powered one,
>the
>MiniMite. You can select down to 5,000 rpm and have a lot of control. I
>think I'd stick with sanding paddles on that concert grand, but for
>everyday use, and especially on old beaters, the Dremmel's great.

>I still use the paddles and stips for the back and underside of most
>upright hammers.

>Where I really like it is on the angled bass/tenor hammers. But the
>slo-mo
>Dremmel also gives you good control for light work on the treble.

>I owe Alan Hoeckleman credit for talking me into trying this; I only had
>the plug-in, dentist's drill version before and was totally unwilling to
>use THAT.

>Reminds me of a funny moment. In a chapter technical, we had a class on
>hammer filing and a discussion of the Dremmel ensued. Someone mentioned
>that little device that's supposed to guide the depth of cutting. Wim
>Blees
>was in our chapter back then; his comment was, "Well, it let's you
>control
>the depth of your divot."

>Alan Barnard
>Salem, Missouri



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