[CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution

[Fred Sturm]

On 5/12/05 8:31 PM, "Tim Geinert, R.P.T." <geinert@drtel.net> wrote:

> At the factory, they have a template for each model's set of hammers, and
> after the set is cut and preshaped, they are then lined up, and lacquered as
> per the guide on the template.  As I recall, the entire set does not
> necessarily get juiced, and each section that does get juiced is not
> necessarily soaked, only as the template dictates, and its different for
> each model.  All the hammers go through this step, the same as any step in
> the process.  Their goal, as I understand it, is just to get the hammers
> headed in the right direction, not make them hard.  I would expect them to
> sound mellow, and they are, even with all of them receiving this pre-voicing
> juicing.
> Tim G.
    I'm very curious as to the source of this information
(templates/lacquering in the factory). Did you actually see this? If so,
when? If not, who told you this was so?
    I hung a new set last summer on a B. Dead as a doornail (or
hyoer-mellow, depending how you want to describe it). I have two brand new
sets in the shop right now, one installed, the other in the box. The pianos
are out being strung, so I can't readily check tone quality, but I would
swear they are virgin felt. No visual sign of lacquer. Though water-white
can be hard to see, you can usually tell. They feel like un-doped felt.
Stroking around the surface, the fibers are soft and yielding. Squeezing
pressure feels quite soft and compressible. Feeling the corners, they have
no sharp edges. I have felt and examined lots of lacquered hammers, and am
pretty sure I would know the difference.
    Everything I have ever heard from Eric Schandall, Kent Webb and John
Patton has indicated that hammers sold by Steinway to technicians are
un-lacquered. Eric clarifies by mentioning the dipping of the corners for
gluing purposes, saying that's all the lacquer the factory puts in.
    So I'm very puzzled when I hear different from various sources. Has
anyone purchased and installed a set that were obviously bright and hard out
of the box? Who precisely says that hammers from Steinway are pre-lacquered
(or can be on request)?
    I'm not meaning to be argumentative, just want to know hard facts,
whatever they may be.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico