Speaking of hammers...

[Bdshull@AOL.COM]

List,

Since this thread was going while I was at the Steinway factory last week, I 
asked the action supervisor about tracking hammer weight.  Steinway's factory 
was shut down for the week.  Steinway had taken a real hit with the WTC 
disaster, because 30% of all Steinway sales take place at Steinway Hall, and 
no one was buying this month.  Combined with the recent downturn this has 
made occasional temporary factory closures necessary, so the factory tours 
were not very noisy.  But we got to see the various action parts 
manufacturing CNC machines, etc.  I asked about when they might be able to 
sample hammers in various parts of the set to give us an idea of hammer 
weight, and the answer was that it was a couple years away.   

I don't think the factory wants to start doing this until they begin to 
actually get more control of the process itself.  I personally wish that we 
would be able to select for hammer weight when we order NY Steinway hammers, 
but since I can determine that anyway in my shop, I will still buy Steinway 
hammers.

Steinway still uses many hand operated methods for skiving felt, trimming and 
cutting hammers apart.  Since the process works, after a fashion, and the 
results meet Steinway's needs, hammer manufacture is not on the top of the 
list yet for retooling.  Given the progress in other areas, and as long as 
the recession doesn't slow things too much, I wouldn't be surprised if the 
hammer manufacturing process does get improved in the next year or two, but 
it will require complete retooling.  Still, it seems to me that introducing 
hammer weight tracking early the manufacturing process would give some real 
control of touchweight for new Steinways.  

Bill Shull



In a message dated 10/21/01 6:56:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
dstanwood@hotmail.com writes:

<< Andrew,
 
My suggestion to hammer makers is to take the average of a cluster of three 
hammers around note #16,#40, and #64 .   This gives a very good indication of 
weight level in the area that is most played.  It's not hard to make an 
estimate of shaping and boring and tapering.  Wally Brooks provides very good 
hammer weight information for his hammers.
 
So would you care to share the weight stats on the Isaac hammers? Levels?
 
David C. Stanwood</div> >>