[CAUT] more problems with the D

[David Love]

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I hesitate to say what needs to be done to the hammers not knowing what
there condition is now.  But generally speaking, the area below the
crown needs to be pretty hard depending on the piano-at least in most of
the capo section.  Since you are dealing with a lacquered hammer the
only way to get it there really is by letting it soak in from the
shoulders as the C&A guys teach.  Some people then put a drop or two of
pure acetone on the crown to keep the surface from getting too crusty
and pingy.  A little ping is ok as you need that high harmonic to come
out a little but too much can be a problem.  One reason I hesitate to
say is that I find that different pianos or different soundboards, if
you will, respond differently.  Some boards will take a harder hammer
than others.  I can't say I quite understand all the variables that
account for that-part of my current learning curve-but some of it is
stiffness, mass, ribbing, etc..  I can say that if the treble section on
a Steinway doesn't have focus and isn't obnoxiously thwacky, then the
problem can be that the hammer is not hard enough underneath.  Sometimes
you see this when the hammer is brought to a level of brightness or
perceived power by just adding a drop of lacquer or keytop to the
crown--a thumbtack on a pillow.  When you pull the thumbtack out, the
hammers mushy understructure no longer supports any tone production.
So if you needle the crown a little and the piano seems to suddenly lose
all power, it may be that the inside of the hammer is too soft.  But I
can't really say from here.   Iron fist may be overstating it or not
really a good analogy, and most of this is empirical anyway, but it
seems to me that you want the hammer to resist increasingly the more you
try and compress it, like a spring.  So you try and produce a gradient
of density by, in this case, adding lacquer in such a way that the
natural tendency of the hammer to be more dense at the center and less
toward the surface is enhanced, not altered.  
 
David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net 
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Wimblees@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 4:29 PM
To: caut@ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] more problems with the D
 
In a message dated 10/7/04 6:21:29 PM Central Daylight Time,
davidlovepianos@comcast.net writes:
I would opt for string seating, making sure the hammers are hard enough
underneath and aren't mushing out in the upper area of the piano, hammer
shape and fitting.  For focus I think you need a pretty firm supporting
structure of the hammer that is not too hard on the crown-iron fist in a
velvet glove. 
David
 
This summer I spent quite a bit of time making sure the strings and
hammers are level, etc. Since this is pretty much in the capo area, I
will again make sure the strings are seated on the V bar, and on the
bridges. 
 
To make sure I understand you right, though, for the hammers, should add
hardener to the shoulders, and then soften up the top? Or just harden up
the underneath, and leave the tops alone?
 
Wim 

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