ball fitting for tuning hammer

[piano@villagehost.com]

>Recently someone gave me a Wonderwand to try. 

HI Clyde

I used a wonderwand that someone let me try out on a Steinway D. 
I hated it!  That thing flexes like crazy!  I believe the ability for 
precise control is completely lost with the wonderwand. A lot of 
people swear by them but I just don't get it. A ball on the end of a 
regular lever makes more sense.

A few Xmas seasons ago the palm of my hand was really starting 
to get tender so I decided to make my own hammer with a slightly 
larger end. I had a local woodworker turn a piece of purpleheart to 
my specs. It is 8.5 inches long with the diameter about the same 
as a standard lever but flaring out to 1.5 inch at the end. Kind of 
like the end of a shovel handle. He drilled it out to fit a Schaff 
extension lever replacement rod. I epoxied it in. I used a very thin 
slow setting epoxy for 95 percent of the job but, since the shaft is 
hex shaped, used PC7 at the point of entry  because it is much 
stiffer making for a very solid feel.  I then had him make one for my 
Hale heads. I glued an APSCO replacement rod in that one.  I had 
the APSCO lever made again from purpleheart but made this one a 
bit more like a wonderwand. Same length but 1.25" for the most 
part ending in a 1.75 ball at the end.  I have about 1.75 to 2" of 
shaft coming out of the handles.  I  carry them both in my case. In 
a lot of instances I get better control using one or the other. It 
depends on the piano. My palmpain is now history  :)

>I am also interested in the custom-made levers by Keith Bowman

Last year I bought a Bowman hammer and used it almost 
exclusively for eight months. It is a work of art. While I was tuning, 
I would just stare at the thing, marvelling at its craftsmanship. I 
believe this is the best made tuning hammer available. However, it 
just does not work well with my style of tuning. I tried for many 
months to adjust my style to get better results with the Bowman 
hammer, but in the end I am now back to using my 2 homemade 
hammers. I would have to say I am definitely more of an exception 
than a rule since everyone else I know that has a Bowman hammer 
loves it. 

My problem with the hammer is its weight. The combination of the 
1/2" diameter shaft and very dense hardwood make for a noticeably 
heavier hammer. This made very fine pin adjustments difficult for 
me. To take an extreme example,  if a tuning hammer was made of 
solid steel imagine the momentum gathered in just a slight tap in 
one direction. On a lesser note, I noticed the effects of the extra 
weight on my shoulder after a day of tuning vertical pianos.

Make a couple of your own. Experiment with different size ball 
ends and tapers. The hammers I made cost about $35 each. When 
you get the size/shape you really like and you still have that desire 
for a Bowman hammer, you can have one made to the same 
dimensions as your homemade hammer.

Michael Musial
Reedsville Pa