Hi Andre, About the Japanese needles, I consider now my voicing tool like a precision device, once loaded with your needles (no colateral damage, not even in the fingers) Took me some time to appreciate them, because they are so sharp/thin and I usually break when beginning to be less concentrated (or smiling at the passing bird ...) It is indeed good to know by advance that the needles will go there exactly where you want to - less sharp needles tend to rebound on dense felt, and we tend to be too much forceful then (and they break) Soft needles (John James) I don't know how to use, nor why they are used. Yamaha C series I have used recently where all but stone hard, and they open very neately with 30/50 jabs. Till, a friend explain me he likes (for new hammers) to begin slowly deep needle in the base of the hammers (just above the impregnated part but in direction of the end of the fiber) , so to have a more confident (mean denser ) material to work with when building "the cushion" (TM) I may say I should be inclined to do that if I don't feel enough the fiber reaction while doing the first needling - I understand you instruct to leave that "battery needling" for later correction of underpowered notes, but I've find that too much needling the shoulders when looking for elasticity can easely tend to a bad deformation near the crown. Can't the process of giving that supplement of density first give a better control when building the cushion ? Or is a good voicer able to get the most of a decent new hammer head without resorting to it . As it have been noticed, modern hammers have often not a lot of internal tension at first. I believe the tension is there under the form of felt compression. The deep needling conducted, releasing more (denser) material in the middle of the hammer, creates that tension up to some point. The fact that Wurzen felt is yet toning well without a lot of this tension is of course appreciated. It is also a big advantage in humid climates, as more inert fiber became totally mushy sounding when Wurzen continue to sound nice. But on the other hand, the rebound on the string being slower, some kind of tone are not allowed until the hammer have packed down under use, I mean a few years may be. The Steinway techs I know have been very surprized by the change in felt when it occurs, when treated properly the older kind felt seem to be reactivated a lot of time, and allow more easely the superpower that is sometime needed by these instruments) They where expecting Wurzen to hold less long, time seem to prove the contrary, but they learned to needle less also I guess. Thanks for your comments. Voicing, the most important subject on earth after regulation and CO2. Friendly Greetings Isaac OLEG > The CFIII-S has Wurzen felt, which makes all the difference in tone > building from the start. > > btw, we sell Japanese needles that only break if you have > no experience > with voicing. > > > On donderdag, nov 6, 2003, at 17:28 Europe/Amsterdam, > cswearingen@daigger.com wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > Just a few months ago, I applied an alcohol/water solution to my > > Yamaha U1 > > hammers because I had the same problem - couldn't get > even a single > > needle > > to penetrate the hammers - they just kept breaking off. > My U1 is only > > about 5 years old but the hammers were like concrete. > > > > My intention was to soften up the hammers so I could > needle them but > > after > > applying the solution, the bright/harsh tone was > drastically brought > > down > > and so I decided not to needle them. I would assume that > the needles > > would > > be easier to insert once the hammers have been soaked with this > > alcohol/water solution (and allowed to dry overnight). > > > > Before I did this, I was constantly playing with the soft > pedal trying > > to > > coax a softer/warmer sound from the instrument. I really > love the tone > > change after using the solution. Be careful however as > it will bring a > > drastic change. You will be able to play softer and get > a much warmer > > tone > > but it will be at the expense of being able to get a ff > or triple ff > > out of > > the instrument. For me, personally, it was a trade-off > that was worth > > it. > > It's been about 6-8 weeks since I did this and the tone > has brightened > > up a > > bit but it still has a much warmer pleasing tone than > before. I should > > mention that after I soaked the hammers and they dried, I > shaped the > > hammers, fine strip-sanded them with 300 grit emory > cloth, and finally > > ironed the hammers to a very smooth polish. > > > > There is also someone on this list that recommends steaming the > > hammers. > > Seems to me that this would have similar effect in that > it expands the > > fibers within the hammer. The only reason I didn't try > steaming was > > that, > > for me, it was much easier to simply use the > alcohol/water solution > > from a > > eye-dropper. > > > > Corte Swearingen > > Chicago > > > > > > > > > > > > Erwinspiano@aol.c > > om To: > > pianotech@ptg.org > > Sent by: cc: > > pianotech-bounces Subject: > Re: Yamaha > > hammers > > @ptg.org > > > > > > 11/06/2003 09:42 > > AM > > Please respond to > > Pianotech > > > > > > > > > > > > > > In a message dated 11/6/2003 6:04:04 AM Pacific Standard Time, > > A440A@aol.com writes: > >> The hammers are so hard that if you begin at the upper > shoulder, the > >> tension in them will tear them apart after a while. > >> Regards, > >> Ed Foote RPT > > Hi Ed > > And Yamaha builds these hammers this way > because...............? > > For all my debt of professional gratitude due Yamaha & > for all there > > ingenius wonderful pianos I can't figure this & have > never heard an > > explanation. Soundboard that vibrate freely DO NOT > require hammers O > > stone. > > Still don't get it in Modesto.--Dale > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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