Tricky Hammers

[G GRAVINA]

Paul, Joe, List:

Do some hammers fit better "out of the box" than others?

I've been using Renner hammers for years and have been very pleased.  But I 
spend a fair amount of time arcing tails, tapering sides, etc.

I generally do not send samples - I try to turn the job around in a few 
days so the piano is not out of service for an extended period of time.

Jerry Gravina, RPT
Babylon, NY

At 08:54 PM 01/30/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi Paul,
>If you sent sample hammers, me thinks that they screwed up royally. No way
>are hammers 0.5 wider and longer tails going to fit without a whole lot of
>extra work.
>I understand your reluctance to not use the hammers as the piano was already
>down for 8 weeks and the coustomer getting restless.
>Better go with some one who is a little more prompt and also asks questions
>about things that do not seem right. Like Ari Isaac. He has been a great
>help to me and has wonderful hammers to boot.
>Joe Goss
>imatunr@srvinet.com
>www.mothergoosetools.com
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Paul Tizzard" <ptizzard@mweb.co.za>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 4:24 PM
>Subject: Tricky Hammers
>
>
> > Hi list,
> >
> > I've just been through a bit of a harrowing experience. I have
>approximately 4 years experience working for myself, and up to now have not
>had too many "surprises".
> > My harrowing experience comes from putting a set of hammers on a Carl Ecke
>Grand, circa 1920's. I followed the usual procedure and sent for duplicate
>hammers from Renner Germany. Due to the timing of the order, end of year,
>the hammers took 8 weeks to arrive. I was glad when they finally did,
>because the owner of the piano started to get a little worried I think.
>Anyway,  I went about fitting the hammers: setting and fitting the new
>samples, replacing every second hammer, paying strict attention to the
>alignment etc. As I progressed, I noticed that several hammers in the bass
>section were rubbing against each other. "Oh well I'll sort that out later"
>I thought. Well here I am 3 days later, with the problem finally solved. But
>did I sweat blood, aligning them to the string, then casting, then
>realigning, then casting, then scratching my head and you get the idea!
>Eventually with the help of a more experienced Tech, I got all the little
>buggers to hit the string and nothing el!
> > se.
> > I just wondered if this was a common experience with duplicate hammers. I
>did send samples with the order. The replacement hammers differed in tail
>length and the new hammers were about 0.5 mm wider. The bore angle was a
>pretty good match. The moulding shape also differed quit a lot, not drastic
>though. I eventually had to reshape the shoulders and the sides of the
>tails.
> > Any help would be appreciated.
> > Thanks
> >
> > Paul Tizzard
> > S.Africa
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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