[CAUT] hammer line

[Ed Sutton]

Here's my approach (similar to Chris's, I think...maybe?).
After boring and shaping I weigh the hammers.
Then I weigh the shanks (as levers).
Let's say the median shank weight is 1.7gr, and they range from 1.4 to 2 
grams.
I make a spread sheet that adds the hammer weights to 1.7gr. (column A)
>From this I calculate the ideal strikeweight continuity. (column B)
Then I subtract  column A from column B, which gives a list of corrections 
needed.
Now, by substituting the odd weighted shanks for the 1.7gr shanks, I can 
make a lot of +/- 0.1,0.2,0.3 gram corrections.
With a bit of luck I can hang the top 20 hammers and make almost no weight 
changes to the hammer heads.
Ed Sutton


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Solliday" <csolliday at rcn.com>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 9:12 AM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line


> Jim,
> no i make a smooth taper (left ot right heavy to light) of both the sorted
> shanks and the strikeweight calibration. The shank sorting by weight taper
> is preliminary to the strike weight calibration. As Eric has said you look
> at the capo bar and wonder what are we missing in terms of evenness. Once
> you get up past not 50 or 60 the largest variable factor is the shank
> weight. We (Stanwood folks) used to correct that too by removing or adding
> material or lead. I weighed the hammers before installation once and
> compared them to the differential for the strike weight calibration and
> noticed that the hammer weight, after normal preparation, was very even 
> but
> that I still had alot of variable "calibration" to do. And some of those
> hour glass shaped hammers do cause people to  ponder and wonder. So it
> occurred to me that the shanks must be variable and so I weighed the next
> set, had an AHA moment, and have been sorting them ever since. Kudos to 
> the
> hammer manufacturers, Abel, Ronsen, Renner, steinway (yes even), for their
> production of more evenly tapered hammer weights than in the past, 
> although
> the more I think about the retro calibrations I've done the more I think 
> the
> shank weight could be the largest factor there too.
> You could also experiment with altering the curve and maybe solve some 
> more
> issues. Bob Marinelli has always said this is possilbe and As I recall Dan
> Harteau has had good success with that.
> That said, If the capo line is bent I think the hammerline should reflect
> it. And soundboard response is for me a hidden factor that I just feel I
> correct for by the above described process. I try two or three even
> sometimes four sample spots for strike point to get enough feedback on 
> that.
> hope that helps,
> Chris Solliday
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Busby" <jim_busby at byu.edu>
> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 7:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line
>
>
>> Hi Chris,
>>
>> Could you elaborate on "calibrating the strikeweight"? What I mean is, I
> understand the sorting of shanks, but what does that do to the SW curve? 
> Do
> you alter the curve? (Put kind of a dip in it?)
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Jim Busby
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
> Chris Solliday
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 11:23 PM
>> To: College and University Technicians
>> Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line
>>
>> Jim and Alan,
>>   You guys have probably thought of this but I thought I'd mention it
> anyway
>> because I haven't seen it as part of this thread.
>> Calibrating the strikeweight from at least note 52 up before assessing 
>> the
>> hammerline makes what you hear make more sense. I glue my line on 
>> straight
>> with a calibrated strike weight, after sorting shanks by weight, and then
> I
>> seem to have less need to vary the strikeline.
>>  I don't have any hard data from the way I used to do it before. I think
> the
>> real difference comes from the sorting of the shanks as they can vary a
>> whole gram or more. Calibrating strike weight without sorting the shanks
>> really makes alot of unnecessary work and can make for some funny looking
>> hammers in the treble section.
>> At least this is something to consider. My treble voicing issues have
> become
>> considerably reduced by doing it this way. I think that before I used 
>> this
>> procedure I was more inclined to funkify my line than currently, not that
> I
>> don't. Maybe I just feel like I get a better result overall. And maybe
> it's
>> actually less funkification. I wish I could prove it but I wasn't looking
>> for that particular improvement so I didn't do a good before and after.
>> Anyway there's 2 more cents.
>> Chris Solliday
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jim Busby" <jim_busby at byu.edu>
>> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
>> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 3:46 PM
>> Subject: Re: [CAUT] hammer line
>>
>>
>> > Alan,
>> >
>> > This looks like what Dale Erwin does to all Bs. Did you attend that
> class?
>> I've always been a bit afraid of making this kind of funkyfied
> hammer-line.
>> You're only the second person I've known crazy enough to actually do it! 
>> I
>> guess I'll try it now.
>> >
>> > Regards, Jim
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
> Alan
>> McCoy
>> > Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 1:17 PM
>> > To: College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>
>> > Subject: [CAUT] FW: hammer line
>> >
>> > Hello folks,
>> >
>> > Thought I'd share this photo. I ruined a perfectly straight hammer line
> on
>> a
>> > 1898 S&S A. It was the most dramatic hammer line problem I have
>> encountered.
>> > I moved the top hammer of the first capo region about 3/16" toward the
>> capo,
>> > and the lowest hammer of the top capo region about 1/8" toward the 
>> > capo.
>> For
>> > both areas I thought I'd taper the hammer line all the way to the other
>> end.
>> > But as it turned out I only needed to start the taper (according to my
>> ear)
>> > at the half-way point (G5 up to the break, and D7 down to the break).
>> >
>> > This area had always sounded funky and I was trying to find out why. I
>> > couldn't believe how much improvement this made.
>> >
>> > I know that these hammers and shanks were put on about 10 or 12 years
> ago,
>> > but I don't know if the originals were hung straight or not. I wonder
> when
>> > S&S figured out they needed to grind the capo out toward the bridge.
> There
>> > was plenty of room on the capo to just grind it, rather than have to
>> recast
>> > the whole capo bar.
>> >
>> > Alan
>> >
>> >
>> > -- Alan McCoy, RPT
>> > Eastern Washington University
>> > amccoy at mail.ewu.edu
>> > 509-359-4627
>> >
>> >