Hammer softening

[Dean May]

I am going to try this. Can any of the chemists comment on substituting a
different kind of alcohol? Everclear could be easier to get, or Isopropyl. 
 

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802

 

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From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Michael Kurta
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 5:58 PM
To: Pianotech List
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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