hammer "throw" on hard blow

[J Patrick Draine]

David,
Could a so far unexamined factor be the fit between the birdseye and  
the "arms" (or are they ears?) of the flange -- too much gap may  
promote the wobble you're noticing?
Also, while you repinned to increase the friction to 2 swings, is the  
bushing itself firm or soft? If soft, this may be allowing the hammer  
to wobble.
These aren't "answers", just tentative hypotheses.
Patrick Draine

On Sep 2, 2005, at 2:42 AM, David Nereson wrote:

>
>    I checked the pinning very carefully since that was the most  
> likely suspect.  I purposely re-pinned the thing very tight (2  
> swings), and clamped the flange in a vise first to check for any  
> wobble or pin movement.  I check the feel of the center pin in each  
> bushing individually, just feeling for equal resistance when  
> pushing the pin in.  The pin is definitely tight in the  
> birdseye.     I'll have to check for off-center boring again.  I  
> can see where on the angled hammers, more weight could end up on  
> one side of the shank than the other, but when straight-bored  
> hammers shake laterally after impact, that's what's puzzling.

Is the hammer properly aligned to all three strings? Might some of  
the strings be out of level? Is the striking surface of the hammer  
perfectly mated to the strings?
Or are we both being a bit obsessive? A slight post-impact shake or  
wobble might not be the end of the world!