[CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution

[David Love]

The funny thing about all this is that I hear different things at
different times.  Sometimes there are reports of prelacquering,
sometimes there are claims of none.  I'm not sure of the source of all
this but both stories make the rounds periodically.  I use a lot of
Steinway hammers and have never found them to be lacquered in any way
that effected the tone.  So if they are, it seems to be down below the
staple where the consistency of the hammer (in their case) makes no
difference.  The hammers almost always need lacquering and the lacquer
always wicks right into the heart of the hammer.  

David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Joe And Penny Goss
Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 5:41 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway hammers with pre-voicing solution

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
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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