The $1,144 "Steinway stick"

[John Delacour]

At 12:09 -0700 13/10/07, Tom Sivak wrote:

>There is this tool called a "Hammer Filing Rail" available from 
>Steinway.  It costs about $40 (usually) and is just a piece of wood 
>the length of a grand action with a little ledge built into the top 
>edge.  The hammer tails sit on the ledge and brace the hammers when 
>you file them.

I use something like that for toning, but it's only a foot or so 
long. I've never managed to work on 88 things at a time!


>It's also great to use when hanging hammers.  With the rail in 
>place, and your guide hammers's tails on the little ledge, you can 
>hang the new hammers by lining up their tails on the ledge and using 
>a straight edge to align the front and/or back of the hammer felts. 
>I get really good results using this method.

The jig I have for this is about 16" long and can be angled in two 
directions so that a small square can be used to achieve the proper 
angles no matter what the cast or rake of the hammers is meant to be. 
I'll take a photo next time I'm using it.  It's pretty simple to make.

JD