That's why I gave up putting in lacquer from the sides. Hard on the back and not any more effective than applying it from the shoulders-nor does it prevent it from leaching to the crown anyway. Moreover, I think you are looking for increasing the overall density of the hammer incrementally, not hardening one spot. Apply from the shoulders and put a couple of drops of pure acetone on the crown after you are done if you want to keep it from getting crusty on top. But if you must, pull the action, set one side down on a non skid surface (like carpet), lean the action against a wall, swing one hammer out at a time, apply the lacquer, swing it back. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Tim Coates Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 3:49 PM To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] tone building for impatient pianists Fred, You might tell Paul how much material you apply. He asked about "a few drops" on the sides. I know there isn't a definite answer. And Paul remember the more vertical the action sits the less likely the floor end will slide. Tim Coates On Nov 21, 2008, at 5:35 PM, Fred Sturm wrote: Well, I guess getting it there into position is the hard part, if the stack is still on the keyframe with keys. It's heavy and awkward. If it's a Steinway, there is space between the bass and tenor sections to get an index finger around the hammer rail. So grab there with the left hand, use the right on the treble side of the keyframe somewhere, and you'll have a good solid grasp of the whole assembly. Then lower one end to the floor. You can slide the bottom of the frame along a piano bench or something if that makes it easier. Once you have one end on the ground, slide it along the floor, grabbing one of the cross members of the keyframe if that makes it easier (then you are on the other side from the hammers and less likely to catch one on something). Or you can lift with one hand on one of the cross members and have your other hand on the top of the keyframe, and carry it to a wall. Get it upright and leaning solidly and stable against a wall so you don't have to be holding it precariously with one hand while working on parts with another. Then apply your material, swinging each hammer out in turn. Maybe stand on something to be able to see the top hammers. Turning it over to get the other side can be done a few ways. The easiest is to turn it enough so that you can lower the high end to the floor. Then lift the other end until it is upright. IOW, yes, get over it <G>. You can also just apply material to the sides of the hammers with the keyframe and action in normal position on a table. It will wick in nicely. But it is harder to see exactly what you are doing, and to control it, without a bit of experience.. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm at unm.edu On Nov 21, 2008, at 4:14 PM, Paul T Williams wrote: That's what I mean, Fred. Maybe I'm just too nervous about tipping an action up on end while doing something else to it. I want to stay focused on the job at hand and have the action safe! Should I just rest the action end on a table and steady it with some sort of block on the floor? or just hold it with my shoulder while applying the solution? I'm really nervous about putting an action on its' end. Maybe I should just get over it?!!! Do I apply a few drops on one side...flip the action around and apply a few drops to the other side, or what? Paul Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu> Sent by: caut-bounces at ptg.org 11/21/2008 05:04 PM Please respond to caut at ptg.org To caut at ptg.org cc Subject Re: [CAUT] tone building for impatient pianists On Nov 21, 2008, at 7:00 AM, Paul T Williams wrote: So...what is the safest method for tipping the action to a vertical position? Hi Paul, I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean something like bass hammers to the floor, treble to the ceiling, for purposes of applying something to the sides of the hammers? In which case I just lean it against a handy wall, a simple matter of slow and careful. Or do you mean something else? Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm at unm.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut_ptg.org/attachments/20081121/ed5a90a8/attachment-0001.html>
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