Hammer hanging glue and replacement butts for uprights.

David Ilvedson ilvey@sbcglobal.net
Tue, 13 Sep 2005 11:18:01 -0700


That's "catchers" as in backchecks?  butt felt or butt cushion works...

David i.



----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Michael Gamble" <michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk>
To: "gordon stelter" <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>, pianotech@ptg.org
Received: 9/13/2005 11:09:53 AM
Subject: RE: Hammer hanging glue and replacement butts for  uprights.


>Hello Thump
>What's a "cather" and what should project down from it? Is the little felt
>square a "butt cushion" or something in place of a "jack slap rail"? Is it
>something I might come across in the UK?
>How infuriatingly intriguing!!
>Michael G.(UK)

>-----Original Message-----
>From: gordon stelter [mailto:lclgcnp@yahoo.com] 
>Sent: 13 September 2005 16:55
>To: Pianotech
>Subject: Hammer hanging glue and replacement butts for uprights.

>I just removed some of Wally Brooks' Abel hammers that
>I was stoopid enough to hang on a  crappy set of those
>Pratt-Win butts a few years ago. The butts were so
>poorly drilled that a LOT of shank-bending was
>necessary, so I decided to replace them with the
>Tokiwa ones. 
>    It seems to be a  "white" glue, like Elmer's, or
>white Titebond. I very much liked the fact that
>putting my elecric hammershank bender up near the
>hammer heads softend the glue enough to remove them
>neatly.
>    A related question: I already have a  set of
>Renner upright butts, with the integral spring, but am
>reluctant to use them because:
>1) The bridle straps are too short. I did a  piano
>with these recently where the straps were so short
>that the bridle wires on the butt had to be bent to be
>in front of the backcheck wires. So I drilled a  new
>hole in the tabs. If I ever use these again, I;ll glue
>on my own straps.
>2) The cathers don't have the projection hanging down,
>with the little felt square for the jacks to bap
>against, on hard playing.
>     I get the impression that these butts are really
>only for certain European actions.
>    Comments?
>     Thump

>     

>--- Erwinspiano@aol.com wrote:

>>  
>> Dittos David.
>>             Especially when we are considering how
>> many times a set of key 
>> bushings may be  replaced in a high use piano. ie. a
>> set of front bushings  
>> other year on  the glissando & heavy  use pianos.
>> With Pvce it's a  miserable job 
>> to get key bushings  out & it is  destructive 
>> ususally removing mortise  wood 
>> in the process  thereby changing the nicely machined
>> dimensions of the 
>> mortise. I consider  pvce glue for this
>> application.......well... .... mal practice. 
>> flame  suit on.
>>   If this is what the asian pianos use for hammer 
>> head/keybushings glue I 
>> wish they'd use something else. It's an almost 
>> impossible job to get the stuff 
>> off & I've done this often when the shanks  are
>> still basically pristine & 
>> worth reusing.
>>   We've used cold hide glue for hammer hanging for
>> years  with great success. 
>> It's easily reversible & easy to re-hang treble
>> hammers  to tweak the strike 
>> line for optimal power & sustain & I do this  often.
>> It's working time is 
>> wonderful & strength is plenty.  Just make sure it's
>> in date.
>>   Joe thanks for all the great info.
>>   Dale Erwin
>> 
>> David Love said: "The nicest thing about  hide glue
>> is the reversibility.  
>> Removing  bushings
>> glued in with PVC-E is a  pain.  Bushings glued in
>> with hide glue will nearly
>> fall out  when saturated with an application of
>> water spiked with a small
>> amount of  the surface tension reducer of your
>> choice.  Hammer heads won't
>> click  with hide glue if the fit is reasonable and
>> if you apply it to both
>> parts  before assembly (and if you use a bit of urea
>> to be sure assembly
>> takes  place before the two surfaces gel and won't
>> bond as well).   I've
>> recently tried using Franklin's Trim and Molding
>> Glue for hammers and  it
>> worked nicely.  But I had to remove a set glued on
>> with it and  while it was
>> no trouble to heat the joint and remove the hammer
>> head, I  found it
>> difficult to get all the old glue off the shank. 
>> When heated  it turns into
>> a kind of sticky rubber band that doesn't really
>> come off  that easily.  The
>> hide glue softens up nicely and can be heated to a 
>> crystalline state where
>> the poorly named "Hammer Shank Reducer" works 
>> quickly and effectively to
>> remove the old glue without "reducing the  shank
>> 
>> 
>>  
>> 



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