This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Susan & all, My theory (& that's all it is) is that the hardener, at the proper = dilution, will cling to the fibers, leaving some space in between. Do I = have any microscopic pictures of a disembowelled hammer to show = emperical evidence that this is actually happening? No, this is the = authority of ignorance speaking, but it seems logical to me, since there = seems to good penetration on subsequent doping of the hammers, along = with noticeable improvement in the tone. It would be interesting to = look at bits of hammer felt which had been doped with different = substances & dilutions. The colored shellac on your old hammers (get a = reasonable shape on them first) might be an interesting study, = particularly if you started with a lighter shellac & went to a darker = one with each application, tried different dilutions, application = methods, etc.; try them on an action to see how they sound (easier if = you have some already on shanks), then cut them apart when you were done = to see how the penetration looks. My guess is that there would be an = arch across the width of the hammer as well, corresponding to the = distance to edge of the hammer/density, wicking action of the cut/uncut = felt, etc. Boy, is it easy to design experiments if you don't plan to = do the work! Have at it, Susan! ;-) Actually, it could be very = useful information. Maybe somebody has already done this. Anybody know = if anyone has gone this route before? No need to re-invent the wheel. I'm not sure that one hardener is inherently better than another, but = part of the reason that I like the keytop solution is the color (or lack = thereof). Then I can tell whether or not a mouse has gotten in the = piano & done a number on the hammers. :-) Otto ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Susan Kline=20 To: College and University Technicians=20 Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 2:39 PM Subject: Re: shell-shock Otto, I'm wondering if shellac would block like that, preventing = further applications from=20 wicking in. It is awfully soluble in alcohol. Is it possible that = keytop is more impenetrable than shellac, after setting up? Also, = shellac is sort of brittle, so a little squeezing with pliers after it = has dried might break it up enough to let more solution into the deeper = parts of the hammer. I suppose I could experiment on some old, soft hammers and see. If I = used one of the more colored shellacs, I could determine better where = the solids are ending up.=20 Susan At 12:42 PM 2/3/2003 -0800, Otto wrote: I think the key with any substance used for juicing is having a = dilution that allows the hardening agent to penetrate to the depth = desired without forming a crust. Fred Drasche always stressed the = "fill-in" method -- starting a bit higher (I start at about 10 & 2 = o'clock - on raw marshmallows) with a bit of juice & then fill in below, = allowing it to wick almost up to the crown. The felt filters the solids = out as the solvent wicks through, leaving the hardener away from the = crown, which avoids that "ping". (Not always successful, mind you.) = You'll notice it travel in a bit of an arch -- faster through the = outer/softer layers of the hammer, & acetone flashes off quickly, so one = has to watch closely & move down the hammer to compensate.=20 =20 With the hardener diluted properly, the felt should still be porous, = allowing the 2nd application to penetrate. Acetone softens the = hardening agent & wicks it further into the hammer. My goal is to get = just enough hardener into the hammer to bond the fibers elastically, so = the resilience is still there. If my 2nd or 3rd application won't = penetrate, then I've gotten the stuff on too thick in the first place. = Then it doesn't matter what I've used as an agent, I'll have to soak the = junk out or throw out the hammers. =20 Otto ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/71/fb/11/b5/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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