Richard asks: << 3. How can you dope the shoulders of a hammer and not have it wick across the crown? By applying it at about 9:00 and 3:00 o'clock, heavily. I usually have sanded the sides of the hammers, and the residual red of the underfelt fibers wicks in front of the harder, leaving a tell-tale line, or "water-mark" on the side of the hammer. When it is done right, there are two half-moons of lacquered area emanating from the clock positions. When they meet just at the tip of the core, there is some un or lightly lacquered felt between the tip of the core and the strike point. It is in the shape of a curve-sided wedge, and when I get here, I am usually really close to what I am finding to be the optimum sound. A hammer like this needs 20 hours of play to begin showing the fullest spectrum of tone, but the combination of well-supported, resilient felt under the slight hardness of the string marks will produce tone like nothing else. I also find that this is a fairly durable treatment, allowing continual voicing as the hammer is filed down through its service cycle. With the totally soaked hammers, I think the tonal compass is shrunk, and the longevity shortened. A "shell" is easily treated by adding a drop or two to the sides where you want them. Just my .o2 Regards, Ed My experience is that if you don't get enough dope on the first application, you may never get the piano out of the mellow range. Not enough dope creates what Steinway calls a "shell" that prevents penetration of second or third applications of laquer if it is needed. >> Ed Foote RPT www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/ www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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