[CAUT] Getting lacquer out of hammers

[Fred Sturm]

-----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
> 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


Hi Israel,
	Here are photos of my method. The trough is constructed out of a 1  
gallon thinner can, cut with tin snips and bent (I have four of them).  
I set the action on end, then rotate a section of hammers into the  
trough, which I fill with a mix of lacquer thinner and acetone (the  
acetone makes it evaporate out of the hammers faster). I like to set  
up a few sections and have them soaking (put something over them to  
keep the fumes down), swishing a little back and forth. After maybe 15  
minutes soaking, I raise a section at a time and blot out as much of  
the thinner as I can with paper towels or equivalent. Usually I repeat  
the process (depends how extreme the problem is). I find I get most of  
the lacquer (or keytop or whatever) out of the felt using this method,  
though there will always be a little residue. In any case, the hammers  
become workable again.
	Since yours are not installed, other setups are obviously possible. I  
do think that soaking with a little agitation is the most efficient  
method, as opposed to pouring thinner onto the hammer felt and letting  
it run out.


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Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



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