hammer brushing

[John M. Formsma]

Hi David,

Thanks for your thoughts below. Am I correct in assuming that you do this on
newer hammers that have minimal grooves? My piano hammers had probably 1/32"
to 3/64" worth of grooves in the middle section. Brushing them with the
brass helped, but the steel eliminated much of the grooves. The hammers need
filing, no doubt, and I will do that this summer, probably. I figured to
give brushing a try since they need filing anyway. From the appearance of
the hammers after brushing with the steel, it seemed that less filing is now
required, since the nap of the felt has been raised. ??? Any thoughts on
this?

The tone is at least back to its former volume, and is improved from what it
was before.

I look forward to hearing of the experiences of others with this.

A voicing newbie,

John Formsma


Hi John,

First of all brushing hammers is not a substitute for hammer
filing.  I don't use brass or steel brushes and wouldn't use
steel as it will, as you found out, beat the hell out of the top
layers.  I use a plastic bristle brush which affects the top layer
of felt only.  It is temporary and used to even things out or
when I have no time for needles.  I will try the brass brush in
the future.

David Ilvedson, RPT