Jurgen asked: "What is the consensus on a proper rake angle for boring and hanging upright hammers? I am working on a ca 1910 54" tall Heintzman piano, it is a really fine instrument, complete with a full sostenuto. The original hammer rake angle is a full five degrees throughout. It looks quite extreme, yet I am reluctant to change it without a good reason on the new hammers I will hang. Is there a good reason to change it to a more "normal" 2 degrees? Why is it that most upright hammers do not strike the strings at 90 degrees like most grands?" Jurgen, To answer your last question,first, I have no clue!<G> Doesn't make sense to me at all! To the first question: I prefer either 1 degree. If it is a piano with an extreme angle, such as you are working on or an early Steinway that goes up to 9 degrees(!!), I'll leave it around 2 degrees. The on thing you need to check is the actual angle of the strings in regards to absolute vertical as opposed to something else. Best way to do that is with a small bubble lever for vertical. Of course, be aware of different casters and measure the back assembly in conjunction to the strings.<G> Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon) Captain, Tool Police Squares R I -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20090820/8a4bb49c/attachment.htm>
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