Hammer softening

[Gary Fluke]

Mike,

I tried the Baldwin process and it worked perfectly.  Thank you!


Gary Fluke

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Kurta 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 2:58 PM
  Subject: Re: Hammer softening


      Hi Gary:
      This is a direct quote from the Baldwin service manual:
      "For a Softer Tone:  A mixture of 25% water and 75% methanol can be applied to the hammers to produce a mellower tone in Baldwin hammers.  Care should be taken not to apply to stapled areas.  The solution can be applied to the shoulders for moderate changes or to the strike point for more severe changes.  It is recommended in most cases not to apply the solution to the top octave and lowest octave since these areas usually require more tone accentuation to be musically pleasing.  It takes about 20-30 minutes for the solution to work.  Fine voicing can then be performed with shallow needling to the hammers as needed to provide a consistent note to note tone."
      I've used this solution for years and found it to work well.
  Methanol BTW, is non-permanent anti-freeze and can sometimes be found at farm supply stores.  Its also found in windshield washer fluid, but I'm not sure what else is in there and the proportion of water to methanol.

      Mike Kurta, Syracuse chapter  
      Mike Kurta, Syracuse chapter
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