[CAUT] Fwd: Steinway sound-Hammer weights

Keith Roberts keithspiano at gmail.com
Wed Mar 2 21:20:38 MST 2011


 I so much agree with this principle;


> The driving factor is hammer mass.
> . This leads to lower velocity of the hammer, less acceleration, less
> variation in strength of blow.
>
  Regards, Fred Sturm
>

This is what people can't get through their heads. Try to explain this to
carpenter who wants to swing a 32oz hammer when the union regs say 20oz is
the max. They don't believe they can hit things as hard. As long as they
have unlimited length of swing, sure. Restrict the backswing and see what
happens.

The simple equation is F=ma. So derivating an individual moment or right
after letoff, acceleration becomes 0 and the velocity becomes constant and
the equation becomes F=mv2. Or Force equals mass time the velocity squared.
Very simple. The mass increases the force in a linear manner and the
velocity increases the force exponentially. This means for the same relative
increase in force due to mass, the increase in velocity delivers 4 times the
force and then the increase again will deliver 16 times the force. So
increasing the action ration and using a lighter hammer can deliver waaay
more force to the strings. Or nail. In theory.

Now, don't get me wrong, I won't tell this to a carpenter whose wrists are
as thick as my ankle and has been driving nails for 15 years. Like Danny
Ortega who won the local nail driving contest, driving 92 16d nails in a
minute. He didn't set them, driving them in with one blow. That's
acceleration.....  a 32oz hammer with a wrist snap.

Keith Roberts
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