[CAUT] Schimmel attacked by fabric softener

[Ed Sutton]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
I will suggest that you try a solution of one gram blonde shellac flakes to one ounce of wood alcohol.

Soak in from the upper shoulders until the hammer is wet.

Let dry a few hours for first test, full brightness after about 12 hours.

You can add more shellac solution, or soak out with pure alcohol if you don't like it, as it is easily dissolved by alcohol.  Alcohol smells better than lacquer thinner, and the dry flakes have a shelf life of perhaps a century.

I find it voices easily, and like the tone, which to me is warm and full without brittleness.

I have heard that when piano factories used shellac in the finish, shellac was used to harden hammers.

I don't have a lot of experience with Steinway hammers, but have used shellac in a school where all the hammers were excessively softened, and got good results.

You might try on a few sample hammers to start.

Ed Sutton



----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: caut@ptg.org
Sent: 5/20/2005 10:43:45 AM 
Subject: [CAUT] Schimmel attacked by fabric softener


One quick question for you more experienced techs out there. . . 
    I have a 7' Schimmel on consignment in the store I work for that needs some radical changes in the voicing.  To the request of the previous owner, the bass and upper treble sections have been voiced down considerably.  Unfortunately, the tooner used fabric softener as well as excessive steam, as I'm guessing from the shrinkage.  I have just spent a couple weeks with Boesendorfer in one-on-one voicing training, so I'm comfortable with most voicing jobs, but this is nasty.  The top 1/4" or so is as soft as gym socks, it smells like Downy, and there's even a few scorch marks in the bass.  Is there any point in trying to save this set of hammers, or should I save myself the agony and just replace them?  O.K., now, control your grimaces. :)

Elizabeth Heppler, R.P.T.
Montana State University - Bozeman
---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/82/18/df/cb/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--