voicing with dremel

[Kevin E. Ramsey]

    Hi Terry. This is not really all that new. Over the years I'd seen
people use something like this often enough that when I finally saw Wally
Brooks use one in one of his classes, I went out and bought one. I work on
so many new pianos with rock hard hammers that I wanted something to make
life easier. It does indeed work, sometimes too well, and takes a bit of
getting used to. I have found that it's a little easier to break needles
using this than traditional voicing techniques because of the flexing back
and forth of a needle being spun round and round. Since I got mine I have
reverted back to regular techniques because, for me, they give a more
predictable outcome, but when a piano tone just isn't coming down, I "get
out the heavy equipment".
    One good thing about these though, is you can do some side needling all
the way through the hammer if you want. Works on grands and verticals, but
this allows you to do some voicing of verticals in the piano.
    I don't like using this on pianos with lacquered hammers, because it
sometimes leaves the hole slightly blackened. Just be careful at first, it's
a good tool to have in your repertoire, but not the "one great answer" to
voicing; nothing really is.


Kevin E. Ramsey
ramsey@extremezone.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "pianolover 88" <pianolover88@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 9:48 PM
Subject: voicing with dremel


> Not sure if anyone else has ever tried this, but i've just discovered what
> seems like a fantastic and VASTLY faster/easier method of deep needle
> voicing. By inserting a single voicing needle into the collet of my dremel
> tool, I can deep needle in a fration of the time of conventional needling.
I
> just turn the speed up to 30k rpm, (although even the lowest speed of 5k
rpm
> is sufficient) and it literally goes into the hardest hammer felt like a
hot
> knife into butter. Of course i would use this ONLY when deep needling in
the
> shoulder areas are necessary, and NEVER on the direct strike area! I'm
> wondering if this is a new concept, and does anyone think this is NOT a
good
> idea, and if so, why? Thanks!
>
> Terry Peterson
> Precision Piano Service
> Torrance, CA
>
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