David Stanwood's comments on lacquering hammers.

[Isaac OLEG]

Hi
cellulose is originally kind of heavy syrup or gum used to produce
dynamite, nitro glycerin and other indispensable materials.

The stuff when diluted in pure ether gives colodion.

If diluted with acetone (and possibly a few others as toluene) it
gives cellulose lacquer, particularly the kind used on brass and
metal, which is also called Zapon lacquer and was also used to have
water resistant paper (for military use at first, for protection of
old historic documents then) .

Colodion is not as strong as lacquer, and can be used and worked
almost immediately, Once a too soft mid treble or a treble hammer have
been treated with any of these, it gain some firmness and power, but
some of its coloration and warmness capacities are lost definitively,
I suspect that is because the whole move of the felt layers from top
to under the shoulders is necessary to produce it and it is then
restricted a lot.

Greetings

Isaac OLEG

Entretien et reparation de pianos.

PianoTech
17 rue de Choisy
94400 VITRY sur SEINE
FRANCE
tel : 033 01 47 18 06 98
fax : 033 01 47 18 06 90
cell: 06 60 42 58 77

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De la
> part de Mark Wisner
> Envoye : samedi 10 mai 2003 20:21
> A : Pianotech
> Objet : Re: David Stanwood's comments on lacquering hammers.
>
>
> 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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> >
> >
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