Kent writes: << I'd go farther. Glovers needles don't exacerbate the problem; they _cause_ the problem in the first place. Trash the glover's needles, stick with some good "sharps", and I bet hammers won't split. >> Greetings, I have seen hammers split before, and it didn't seem to be because of any particular type of needle, but rather, how they were applied. When a voicer continues softening a really hard hammer by needling on either side of the crown, they can cut enough fiber to allow the compression under the strike point to pull the hammer apart. I did this once, myself. If the hammer is that compressed, it is necesary to release some of the compression under the strike point as well as softening shoulders. After the shoulders are somewhat relaxed, and no apparent change of tone is forthcoming, it is time to drive a couple or three deep needles into the crown,all the way to the core. Trying to get a mellow sound out of really hard hammers without this will usually lead the acupuncturist to destroy the continuity of the felt on the sides. Once this is done, the compression will resolve itself in this localized area on either side of the strike point by pulling the hammer apart. On the other hand, ignoring the shoulders and just needling the crown will also destroy the hammer, in a hurry. Getting a gradual change of density means working almost all of the felt. Renner hammers don't seem to suffer quite so much from this, but I have noticed Yamaha hammers, as well as some of the other Asian imports will. Don't be afraid to go for the heart, that is where the tone is most easily manipulated. Ed Foote RPT www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/ www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html <A HREF="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/399/six_degrees_of_tonality.html"> MP3.com: Six Degrees of Tonality</A>
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