[CAUT] Tuning hammers, tips

[James Ellis]

I have been reading the mail about tuning hammers, tips, sizes, tapers, etc.

Just as soon as piano tools went back into production after World War II, I
bought my first really good tuning hammer - a Hale, from Tuners Supply in
Boston.  I will never forget the feel of solid control I got from that
thing the first time I used it.

Ron Nossaman is right.  Tips that fit well do not wear out as quickly, and
the No.2 tip that came on that tuning hammer did fit well.  There was no
rocking around or sloppiness on the tuning pins.  But after years of use, I
figured that the tip was sufficiently worn that I should get a new one.
The wear inside the star was clearly visible.  I did get a new No. 2 Hale
tip from Tuners Supply (still in Boston at that time), but guess what?  It
was nice and shiny and better looking than the old one had ever been, but
it rocked all over the place, and had a sloppy feel on the pins.  The old
worn tip was still much better than the new one.  

I have been through a bunch of different tips from different sources since
then, and some were clearly better than others, but I never found one that
was completely to my liking.  I have also been through several tuning
hammers since then, several of which I eventually gave away.  I now carry
three tuning hammers all the time:  The old original post WW-II Hale with
its original head, which I use for grands; a replica of the original that
Hale made in limited quantity while still in Boston, which I retrofitted
with extra short 5-degree head, which I use for small verticals, and a
small goosneck that I use on rare occasions for those tuning pins that are
under the left-hand desk slides of some small grands, where even the extra
short head and tip won't go.  I also carry an assortment of defferent heads
with tips attached, but seldom use them.

As for heads and angles:  There is a fallacy in the notion that a very
short head with a high shank angle causes less tuning pin flag-pole.  I
discuss this in my August 1995 Journal article on "Tuning Hammer Geometry".

Queation:  Does any one know what the standard angle for the tuning pin
sguare taper is supposed to be, or does a standard even exist?

Jim Ellis