[CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!

[Otto Keyes]

I would agree with David here.  If they were good hammers in the first place
(travesty to the sacred percussion stringed instrument aside) I would doubt
that significant, irreversable damage has been done to the hammers.  Rather
like voicing with an ice pick, but I wouldn't pull them off just yet.  Just
pour that little hole full of solid bodied laquer for some real interesting
"new music" sounds.  :-)   Actually, I'd start out with a few light whacks
on the crown of the well-supported hammer with a small tack or ball peen
hammer, or the back of your voicing tool, just to see of you can get the
felt to spring back to a semblence of the original shape.  You might be
surprised that a significant number of holes will discernably shrink.  Very
heavily laquered hammers will not do so well unless the hardner is soaked
first, but they may respond decently when rapped while fully wet with your
chosen solvent.

Otto

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey@sbcglobal.net>
To: <jminor@uiuc.edu>; <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 4:02 PM
Subject: RE: [CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!


> John,
>
> What exactly does the piano sound like?   Not that I condone that kind of
voicing but are you sure the hammers are ruined?   Hopefully the culprits
didn't keep pushing the tacks over and over into the hammer to get the
perfect spot?  I'd charge the culprits if possible for the work but hold it
in reserve for the future...
>
> David I.
>
>
> ----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
> From: John Minor <jminor@uiuc.edu>
> To: caut <caut@ptg.org>
> Received: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 10:55:11 -0500
> Subject: [CAUT] Thumbtacks in hammers!
>
> >Well, it finally happened. Every university technician fears
> >that one day the following will happen in their school:
>
> >A recently rebuilt Steinway B was used for a performance of
> >Stravinsky's RAGTIME. The piece calls for cymbalum so, in it's
> >place a piano had thumb tacks pushed into the hammer felt to
> >imitate the sound. This was for a NEW MUSIC performance here
> >at the University of Illinois.
>
> >I wrote a nice email to the performing arts center director
> >where the atrocity was committed and informed them the hammers
> >would need to be replaced at a cost of $400 for the parts.
> >Unfortunately, I failed to mention the 30 or so hours it could
> >take to bore and hang the new set!
>
> >The department directors spoke and the offenders were
> >supposedly "spoken to" about the matter. Personally I'd rather
> >have had the chance to talk to people face to face and ask,
> >"What were you thinking?" There seems to be an attitude of
> >"I'll do anything I darn well feel like doing" among many in
> >our music department. Is that an isolated attitude?
>
>
> >John Minor
> >University of Illinois
> >_______________________________________________
> >caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
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