Hi Mark, In recent classes I have heard S&S instructors mention that they are now preLackering. Joe Goss RPT Mother Goose Tools imatunr@srvinet.com www.mothergoosetools.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Dierauf" <pianotech@nhpianos.com> To: <caut@ptg.org> Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 5:25 PM Subject: [CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution > > I just attended Eric Schandall's "Voicing the NY Hammer" class at the > NE Regional and he sure didn't indicate that there was any > pre-lacquering being done in the factory. He made a point of saying that > the initial application must get plenty of lacquer way down near the tip > of the molding, and that subsequent applications would NOT be able to > accomplish this, which would suggest that they could not have been > pre-lacquered. I did get a couple of sets back in about '02 that sure > sounded as though they had already been lacquered, though. The procedure > that he outlined was to hit the entire hammer (except for the extreme > lower shoulder) with 1 to 3, then a second application if necessary that > hit the same area except for the crown and the area below it. 3 drops of > Keytop/Acetone (1 Pratt-Read keytop in 8 oz of acetone) right at the > strike point is sometimes used in addition to the lacquer, if needed. > > - Mark Dierauf > > -----Original Message----- > From: Fred Sturm [mailto:fssturm@unm.edu] > Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 3:06 PM > To: College and University Technicians > Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution > > 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 > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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