All you can really do is soak them in thinner and try to wash the lacquer away from the strike point. You can use acetone but I would use lacquer thinner. The acetone flashes off a bit too quickly. Soak them right over the crown and use several applications within about 5 minutes of each other. Be prepared that the amount of thinner applied will tend to run down the sides of the hammer so you might consider a tray of some type underneath to catch the run off. If the hammers are actually not on the shanks you might try dipping them or even soaking them. After each soaking change the thinner as it will get contaminated with lacquer leaching out of the hammers. Try one to be sure that the glue joint won't let go but I don't think it should be a problem. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Israel Stein Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 11:20 AM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: [CAUT] Getting lacquer out of hammers Hello, I know that there is a thread about this somewhere in the list archives, but the archives went away with the server move and won't be back in time to do this over Winter Break, if possible, so... I have a set of overlacquered Steinway hammers sitting on the shelf here at SFSU that I would love to be able to re-use - since our parts budget here is fast disappearing into the 12 billion dollar California deficit. Is there any way to get most of that lacquer out of these hammers, and if so, how? Israel Stein Piano Technician Creative Arts Technical Services San Francisco State University
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