David Stanwood's comments on lacquering hammers.

[Mark Wisner]

Try Flexible Colodian.  It's a ether-based version of a medical product
called "New Skin".  Although it's been years since I've bought any, I'd get
it from a pharmacy.     I think somebody at  Bosendorfer recommended it.

Mark Wisner
mwissner@earthlink.net



> [Original Message]
> From: gordon stelter <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 5/10/2003 7:28:45 AM
> Subject: Re: David Stanwood's comments on lacquering hammers.
>
> Hi David,
>      Would it help to "juice" the hammers with
> something of a less brittle nature than lacquer,
> something perhaps more "rubbery" when dry?
>      Has anyone extensively experimented with
> different soultions?
>      How about the stuff they make "Super Balls" out
> of? Or rubberized Ca glue.( haha )
>      Really, any suggestions for positive alternatives
> to nc lacquer?
>      I also recommend stopping by to see Dolge's
> amazing old factory in Dolgevlle, N.Y., if you're ever
> up that way. 
>      Cheers,
>      Gordon
>
> --- "David C. Stanwood" <stanwood@tiac.net> wrote:
> > Love the conversation about felt and voicing!
> > 
> > I have to share this quote from a grand master:
> > 
> > "The art of hammer making has ever been to obtain a
> > solid,  firm
> > foundation, graduating in softness and elasticity
> > toward the top surface,
> > which latter has to be silky and elastic in order to
> > produce a mild, soft
> > tone for pianissimo playing, but with sufficient
> > resistance back of  it to
> > permit the hard blow of fortissimo playing."  
> > Alfred Dolge - Pianos and
> > their Makers  1911
> > 
> > For me hammer felt voicing is all about a balance
> > between hammer weight,
> > density gradient, and resiliency.
> > 
> > Lacquer builds density at the expense of resiliency.
> >  A common problem with
> > lacquer is that flooding the whole hammer hardens
> > the surface fibers and
> > makes for unpleasent pianissimo tone...  a good
> > lacquer technique is to
> > juice the shoulder with lacquer and immediately
> > juice the crown with
> > solvent or thin lacquer.   The thinner solution
> > draws the harder lacquer
> > out of the shoulder thinning it as it gets closer to
> > the crown creating a
> > density gradient while at the same time acting as a
> > resist, keeping the
> > harder lacquer out of the crown surface.  
> > 
> > David Stanwood
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>
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