Hammer weight

[HartmanCJ@aol.com]

You said

David,

Thanks for the information. I dont know of any one selling hammers as light
as your low tonal projection.
Your Medium Tonal projection hammers are about as light as I have seen used
on modern pianos going back to the 1920s.

You said
"Think about this: If the strike weight is brought to zero the tonal power
will go to zero, so there has to be a point were tonal power diminishes as a
function of weight"

It's also true that as the hammer mass is increased a point will be reach
when the hammer contact with the string will last longer than the string's
fundamental effectively damping the string. As far as achieving a powerful
tone the Hammers weight has to be designed to work with the string scale,
strike point and the soundboard response first. How the hammer weight effects
the action is a problem to be considered second. If a heavier hammer is opted
for then the action leverage will have to be less. This reduces the friction
at the knuckle and requires fewer leads in the key for balance. If a lighter
hammer is chosen the leverage will need to be greater providing the hammers
with greater acceleration on its way to the string.

John Hartman