John Hartman wrote: > David C. Stanwood wrote: > > > You make some good points. As I see it the process of bending the delta > shaped felt around the molding is to produce this density (stiffness) > gradient. The real beauty of Lacquer is that you can increase and > control this gradient at will. Many think that lacquer is used only as a > last ditch effort to breath life into a dead piano but used this way it > is an indispensable tool for tone control. No mater how a hammer is made > it will not have a great enough stiffness gradient to bring out the full > dynamic range available on a fine quality grand. Interesting stuff here. We nearly always talk about the hammers resiliency, and elasticity.... but the stiffness gradient is not something I've seen up before. I'd appreciate very much hearing you (and whoeverelse) go more into delail about this characteristic and how it fits into the hammers voice. On the surface of things, it would seem stiffness is the exact opposite of elasticity. > > I don't see how there is any difference between increasing the hammer's > resilience by using denser felt or adding some lacquer. Resilience is > resilience no mater how it's achieved. Everyone wants resilient hammers > yet felt is not a resilient material. While I dont use laquer except in the extreme treble and bass, I have said several times that I thought that tho laquer may kill the natural resilience of a hammer, that perhaps it can provide a kind of resiliency of its own, tho perhaps somewhat different in character. That being said... when did felt become not a resilient material ? > > What I want is control over the hammer's resilience and dampening at all > the dynamic levels. It doesn't matter if I achieve the desired results > by needling the felt or by applying a little lacquer. > > There are plenty of technicians who declare they never resort to using > lacquer as if it was some sort of honor. They are missing out on a world > of possibilities. Sometimes I wish I had 12 lifetimes so that I could spend all the time neccessary to come and observe how others do what they do. I'd love to come and spend some time on the learners bench to see how you accomplish your voicings with laquer. > > 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] > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html
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