Hammer steaming

[Barbara Richmond]

On Thu, 25 May 1995, John Musselwhite wrote:

[A whole raft of stuff expunged...]

> And finally, a customer has a Steinway M which
>had new (factory) hammers in the seventies but
>they were never lacquered. The customer complains
>the tone is too bright but the fibres just shred when
>they are filed and needles drop in by gravity. I would
>juice the hammers first and then file and needle but
> the customer is worried the piano will be too loud
>and bright after that and won't sanction the work.
>Would steaming help?

I had a similar situation--what seemed to be soft hammers
and brighter tone than the customer wanted.  Needling
was ineffective, so I tried using hammer softener.  It
worked beautifully.  Would there be any harm in trying
steaming?

Barbara Richmond
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois
berich@heartland.bradley.edu