[CAUT] hammer line

[Richard Brekne]

Timely post... I just got back from an evening sorting session of a 
standard set of shanks from Renner.  Lowest weight was 1.47 grams and 
highest weight was 2.14 grams.  I sort them in ascending order for each 
size (width) and after weighing my dead weight hammer weights do a 
spread sheet sort on the hammers to make the best match with the strike 
weights.  Saves me all kinds of work evening out finished Strike Weights.

I'm not exactly sure how this eases my voicing work.... somehow seems 
counter intuitive that the heaviest hammer matched with the lightest 
shank will voice similar to a neighbor hammer which by happenstance has 
the lightest hammer and heaviest shank.

I do run a check on the upper treble with a sounding block before 
sinking any needles in. Nice to identify any rouge shanks before I get 
started.

Cheers
RicB


    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