<HEAD> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV>Wim,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Your experiment is far from complete.</DIV> <DIV>Let me repeat and expand upon what I posted yesterday.</DIV> <DIV>Please read carefully.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Titebond yellow glue releases and the hammer spins easily, 360 degrees, or more if you wish.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The creamy brown glue that Steinway was using about 15 years ago also releases and spins easily.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As Jim Ellis said, you can spin them right off the shank if you wish.  There is no evidence of shank twisting.</DIV> <DIV>When they have cooled, they rebond and are very strong, strong enough to split the shank if you twist hard enough.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Hide glue (transluscent golden stuff) that has aged, will not release <U>with the amount of heat that I am willing to apply for this purpose.</U></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Whatever was used on Petrof hammers 8 years ago (probably a dark grade of hide glue) will not release <U>with the amount of heat that I am willing to apply for this purpose.</U></DIV> <DIV><U></U> </DIV> <DIV>My method of applying heat uses a light duty heat gun with a small funnel nozzle attachment, which enables me to focus the heat rather well.  I stand the hammer up on the rail and focus the heat on the joint, moving slowly from one side to the other with the air flow directed somewhat back and away from the hammer felt.  If 2 or 3 hammers need aligning, I pass back and forth among them with the heat gun.  It takes perhaps a minute to heat 3 joints sufficiently for the glue to soften.  At no time is the wood so hot that it is uncomfortable to touch. Once softened, they will stay soft for perhaps a minute.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am a careful worker, and <U>there is no sign of charing or burning</U> when I do this procedure.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I use this procedure because by holding the shank with a pair of plier I avoid any chance of stress to the birdseye, and because it is clean, accurate and stable. If you would like to try it, please read my description carefully and be sure you understand what I am suggesting.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sincerely,</DIV> <DIV>Ed Sutton</DIV> <DIV><U></U> </DIV> <DIV><BR><BR>-----Original Message----- <BR>From: Wimblees@aol.com <BR>Sent: Mar 31, 2006 11:11 AM <BR>To: caut@ptg.org <BR>Subject: [CAUT] hammer burning experiment <BR><BR></DIV><ZZZHTML><ZZZHEAD><ZZZMETA content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" http-equiv="Content-Type"><ZZZMETA content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name="GENERATOR"></ZZZHEAD><ZZZBODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" rightMargin="7" topMargin="7" leftMargin="7" bottomMargin="7"><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>Someone asked if I could do an experiment of my burning technique to see if the hammer was moving or the shank. I've got a box full of old Steinway S hammers glued to shanks, (They are not genuine Steinway parts), on which I did the experiment. I scribed a line across the shank and the hammer, and using my Weller heat gun, heated the hammer, and bent it off center, the way I normally burn a hammer. Guess what. The hammer did not move. The shank turned. So all this time I thought I was loosening the glue joint, when I was in fact, I bening the wood.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As I said, I heat the shank at the hammer. The question I have is, where do you guys heat the shank? How far from the hammer?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim  </DIV></FONT></ZZZBODY></ZZZHTML></BODY>