cost effective CAUT hammer renewal (was hammer re-felting,)

[Otto Keyes]

Eons ago when we were still in Chicagoland, seems I remember talking to a
tech. from the USDA Forest Products lab in Wisconsin who said the half-life
of wood is 40 years.  ie:  it loses half its original strength in 40 years.
Not usually a  problem in a house (assuming proper design & construction)
where much of the force is compression, but something like a hammer shank
has entirely different forces at play.  On the other hand, I've seen some
pretty old stuff work remarkably well.  All other things being equal, my
theory is that the environment (& maintenance) in the first few years of a
piano's life seems to make a considerable difference in its longevity.  Any
thoughts?

Otto

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Cramer" <Cramer@BrandonU.ca>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:00 PM
Subject: RE: cost effective CAUT hammer renewal (was hammer re-felting,)


> Thanks Don,
>
> I always appreciate your opinion. (worth considerably more than two
> loonies!)
>
> Honestly, I'd never given thought to the durability of the wooden shanks
> themselves. You didn't suggest a lifespan (years)for shanks from new, but
> I'm guessing they should be good for several decades anyhow?
>