<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 3/29/06 10:00:51 P.M. Central Standard Time, garym@PIANOSERVICE.BIZ writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Wim, <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>I'm sure it gets warmer than 120 degrees. Just think about it. It gets hotter than 120 degrees in a car on a hot day in summer in Kansas, but I have never been able to twist a hammer under those circumstances.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>If you are only moving the hammer 1 or 2 degrees, why take the chance? Just twist the shank. If the Rappaports do it, then there must be something to it...</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Sincerely,</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Gary Mushlin, RPT</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV>Here is another "twist", (no pun intended), on this subject. Yes, wood molecules can be changed by heating them, like rib stock and rims. But when it is done in the factory, the wood is heated and clamped into a new shape, and set there for several hours before the clamps are removed. When we burn a shank, all we are doing is temporarily heating a shank and twisting it for a few second before letting go. Is this changing the molecules long enough to permanently change the configuration for ever?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim  </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>