Hi all Just wanted to give you an update on my hammer softener experiment.  It ended up being a tie between the Downy softener and the hammer softener from Protek.  Since most of the pianos I worked on have Abel and Renner hammers, steaming didn't have a huge effect.  One M&H model A's hammers are so badly worn (not even enough felt left to file!) that even the softeners didn't do very much.  It's now slated for an action overhaul this summer.( Abel or Renner? Hmmmmmmm...) So for cost analysis, the hammer softener is about 75 cents per ounce and the Downy/Alcohol is about 15 cents/ounce!  No brainer.  Time will tell which will last the longest.   BTW, The mineral spirits ended up working just fine on the Steinway finish. On to new challenges! Best to all, Hei, Hei! Paul