kneading hammers

[Erwinspiano at aol.com]

Hi Rupert
  I have done my share of this in the past but never on a real quality set of 
hammer.  It is in my Opinion,  that this is a technique reserved for poorly 
made/ or petrified felt type  hammers.  I consider it the last final act of 
voicing  desperation.  Also on some pianos it makes a change for the better in a  
short amount of time & my ears don't hurt so much. i.e. spinets, over heated  
& shrunken hammers or over juiced.  The muted sound you mention comes  from 
using pliers too far up on the hammer which cups the crown rendering the  
strike surface un level.
  It also may be just the  pre voicing on some  hammers need so that one can 
actually finish up & refine the job with some  needling.  All hammer voicing 
manipulations are redistributing the  densities of the hammer thereby by moving 
the felt fibers thus making them more  ...or less....linear in there ability 
to produce tonal  spectrum.
  Dale

My  original query cited Howe's book, which turns out
to be the Revised 3rd  edition of 1963 (not 1948 when
it was first published - sorry about  that).

On p.61 he says:
"Another method of softening  the hammers has proved
satisfactory: Take a pair of gas-pliers  and squeeze
the felt in both directions alternately: in other  
words, knead it with the pliers".

So far this idea of  alternate directions has not been
mentioned by contributors.

( The  idea that the tone can also be strengthened is
intriguing me (see  below).  Seeing most contributors
have said avoid squeezing the tip,  it would seem that
they would have strengthened the tone rather  than
mellow it by squeezing elsewhere.  Most contributors 
have  said squeezing is like a lot of needling - which
always softens does it  not? )

I am now very interested in what exactly happens  to
the
fibers of felt when it is needled / squeezed.

I did do a  gentle lateral pliers squeezing on my old
Bluthner upright, and have done  no permanent damage:
in fact, after a few weeks playing it sounds  much
better to me, although it was a bit muffled
immediately  afterwards.  Further experiments will be
confined to my wife's  spinnette!


Rupert


 



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