Hammermaker's corner 12

[isaacah]

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HAMMERMAKER'S CORNER 12



Ari Isaac.







I belong to the group of people who trust only data, information, they =
themselves can prove, to their own satisfaction and by their own =
investigation, to be valid or true - a pain in the butt, to less =
rigorously inquisitive folk. I'm not in a popularity contest so that =
part never bothered me very much. Where this relates to my making =
hammers is that now, in 1984/5 I decided to develop the excellent hammer =
felt sheets I was getting, to limits set by me, rather than going on =
what I was being told even though the man I was cooperating with was and =
is the most knowledgeable mand in the field of hammer felt production. I =
can talk tone to Earl Dunlap and he can relate it to wool fibers in a =
hammer felt sheet; you might say he can hear the different tones =
eventually produced by the variety of hammer felt sheets he has to craft =
for hammer makers, merely by knowing the wool blend and makeup of a =
given sheet, without hearing the hammers installed in the pianos. I've =
never known someone with a comparable skill, I consider myself very =
fortunate to have been working with earl these many years.=20

"Let's make this felt as springy as you can make it" I suggested to Earl =
one day and he being the amazing man he is, agreed. The felt sheet, or =
sheets, he next xent me wer so springy the strips would not stay closed =
around the hammer moldings. The hammer press we had designed is the =
strongest in the industry, it has 90 tons of pressure available to apply =
to pressing the felt. After leaving the hammers in the press for 24 =
hours, the felt opened, it did not want to stay glued to the moldings. I =
tried something else; I placed a 50lbs weight on the felt sheet about =
half way from bass to treble and left it there for a few hours. When I =
lifted the weight there was no sign of a depression. I tried 100lbs - =
same result. I knew we had gone too far in the spring department. Earl =
next made up a sheet that was slightly less springy - it stayed closed. =
almost completely but not good enough. This felt was still a touch too =
springy. I cautioned Earl to reduce the spring in the next sheet ever so =
slightly, this time it stayed closed. I discovered I had to leave the =
hammers in the press for longer - a price I'm willing to pay, it has =
huge dividends for the tonal results.

I called Earl to thank him and to inform him that this is the sheet I =
would be using from then on. The spring in the felt has two direct =
effects; an automatic color range and a far longer hammer life span.=20


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