Hammer fluff fallout

[David Love]

With grand actions I take them outside and set them on the bench (cover the
bench with something first).  Borrow a chair to sit on and spare your back.
Even then I usually have a vacuum and lay the hose along the shanks so that
the hose end is in close proximity to where I am filing.  That tends to
draw some of the airborn debris into the vacuum.  Cover the wippens with a
sheet of felt before filing btw.  With upright actions I generally find
that there is somewhere to set the action outside: a barbecue table or
something.  I prefer to file upright hammers with the action laying on its
back.  Easier access and the filings don't fall down in to the action.  If
you don't carry an action cradle (which isn't a bad idea if you anticipate
filing--the one with four individual legs is much more compact), you can
often lay the action back on a moving blanket doubled up so as not to
stress or bend the back check wires.  If it must be done in the house I
again try to position the hose of the vacuum near where I am filing.  It
tends to draw the air toward it and the dust along with it.  When you are
done vacuum around the piano for any residual fallout.  

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: Dave Davis <davistunes@yahoo.com>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 10/6/2003 10:30:45 AM
> Subject: Hammer fluff fallout
>
> When I'm re-shaping hammers, there's always a lot of
> fluff that floats around.  Therefore, I'm reluctant to
> do hammers in the customer's home without scheduling
> Merry Maids to show up and dust after I'm finished.
>
> Am I just messy or is the fallout part of the ordeal
> of having one's piano serviced.
>
> And that brings up another thing, how do you deal with
> upright re-shaping at the customer's home?  It's not
> fun doing it on the floor or front porch (AMHIK), and
> I'm not really set up for hauling a couple of small
> tables along. 
>
> Just wondering,
>
> Dave Davis
> Renton, WA 
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
> http://shopping.yahoo.com
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives