Rebuilding for Performance - - resiliency

[Isaac OLEG]

Isaac OLEG
> (and I have a
> > real shop with some real tools also !!!).
> >
> > My Very Best Regards to you.
Helllo John,

I believe that resiliency is the propriety of the hammer to take back
its shape after stiffening under the load.

That is probably a taste and cultural matter, but I prefer the tone of
the hammers when the felt fiber is the material that create its own
springness under compression, without the help of stiffening agents.
that way more of the felt is involved in the process, and more than
that, the springness can be renewed in time with voicing.

Some old French pianos have (had)  a tone that is ready to play, as
Pleyel, while it is easier for the pianist to have an instrument that
is producing a good tone even when he is not in a good day , it have
been seen that some instruments more difficult to master, are allowing
a larger palette and more expression possibilities (articulation of
tone).
that is what I am after generally, and indeed it is way related to the
tonal output of the soundboard/string system also.

Thanks for explaining your process, and the principes that may be used
for the instruments you work on.

I wish to hear some older ones with new board if some recordings are
availables, have you some references to give us ?

With kind Regards.

Greetings

Isaac OLEG

B.T.W you could find the brand J.D. Weickert on the hammers of very
old European instruments, these where the first name of the actual
Wurzen felt.


>
> Thanks for you insights into hammer making and how it
> influences you
> work. Maybe I did not make myself clear about what I am
> looking for in
> hammers for rebuilding. So simply put:
>
> 1) I want hammers that are reasonably light in weight. I
> fit each hammer
> set to work with each action in terms of weight. So it
> doesn't need to a
> specific weigh but medium to medium light.
>
> 2) I want the felt to be soft, not too dense. This usually
> goes a long
> with a light weight hammer.
>
> My voicing technique:
>
> 1) Get the weight of the hammer down. This will give a
> bright tone with
> soft felt. This is one reason why they got away with such
> soft felt back
> then (actually put these hammer on a scale and see how
> light many of
> them were).
>
> 2) Use hardeners when necessary to increase the dynamic
> range. Putting
> thin hardeners deep into the hammer increases the
> difference between the
> density of the crown and the core.
>
> As you see it is the weight of the hammers and the density
> (from crown
> to core) of felt that matters to me. So far I am not much
> of a believer
> in finding the right felt and I don't worry much about how it is
> pressed.  Resilience if a term that is often misused when
> talking about
> hammers. What it more resilient, hammer felt or a hardened piece of
> lacquer?
>
> John Hartman RPT
>
> John Hartman Pianos
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
> Rebuilding Steinway and Mason & Hamlin
> Grand Pianos Since 1979
>
> Piano Technicians Journal
> Journal Illustrator/Contributing Editor
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
>
>
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