Lacquering Hammers Wait to Play On?

[A440A@aol.com]

Lance writes:
<<I recently asked a related question (how to speed the prep of new Steinways)

and was told to use lacquer with Acetone instead of lacquer thinner to speed

the drying process.  True?  Drawbacks?

>>

Greetings, 
   I have used the acetone as a solvent for lacquer and the keytop material, 
and it works its own way with both.  
   In the preliminary "tone-building" stage of dosing a new set of Steinway 
hammers'  shoulders, the acetone-thinned anything seems to wick farther into 
the hammer, So I don't use it for the beginning.   For this, I use the 
thinner and lacquer.  After the shoulders are heavily doped,(and they all 
seem to need it) I use very little hardner above them, as it seems that the 
completely dried initial dose keeps subsequent treatments above from 
spreading too far, thus concentrating its effect right close to the hammer's 
center under the strike point.  The acetone's deeper spread is a liability 
here. 
    I believe that the primary benefit of acetone is speed of results. When 
it is not a rush job, I prefer the lacquer for its ease of work and the lack 
of noise that the keytop treatment seems to encourage.  On heavily used 
school instruments, I really try to maintain an unhardened center to the 
hammers so that yearly filings don't uncover rocks of hardener.  If the 
lacquer can be kept out of the center, but still close to it, the tonal 
longevity improves.   
REgards, 
Ed Foote RPT
Blair School of Music
Vanderbilt