<html> <body> Reminds me of prepping a D for a Steinway Artist that wanted more out of the killer octaves.  I decided on shellac as the hammers really weren't played in yet.  The site manager was helpful and ran off to the store to get some hair spray, redolent with botanicals--the best! One whiff of that and I headed off to Lowes.  Andrew Anderson At 09:58 AM 4/5/2007, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">ROTFL Joe Goss RPT Mother Goose Tools <a href="mailto:imatunr@srvinet.com">imatunr@srvinet.com</a> <a href="http://www.mothergoosetools.com/" eudora="autourl"> www.mothergoosetools.com</a> <dl> <dd>----- Original Message ----- <dd>From: <a href="mailto:pwilliams4@unlnotes.unl.edu">Paul T Williams</a> <dd>To: <a href="mailto:annie@allthingspiano.com">annie@allthingspiano.com</a> ; <a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">College and University Technicians</a> <dd>Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 8:41 AM <dd>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Experiment Success <dd>Whether or not it would work, the piano would smell like a pickle forever...pw <dd>"Annie Grieshop" <<a href="mailto:annie@allthingspiano.com">annie@allthingspiano.com</a> > <dd>Sent by: <a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org">caut-bounces@ptg.org</a> <dd>04/05/2007 09:00 AM <div align="center"> <dd>Please respond to <dd><a href="mailto:annie@allthingspiano.com">annie@allthingspiano.com</a> ; Please respond to <dd>College and University Technicians <<a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</a>> </div> <div align="right"> <dd>To </div> <dd>"College and University Technicians" <<a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</a>> <div align="right"> <dd>cc <dd>Subject </div> <dd>Re: [CAUT] Experiment Success <dd>If a wool sweater shrinks when washed, soaking it in vinegar will relax the fibers and allow it to be reshaped.  Will that work on hammers?  I don't have anything handy that would be a fair test.  Is vinegar too acidic for strings?  It could be neutralized, but that would mean another hammer treatment. <dd>  <dd>Annie Grieshop <dd>Iowa (Hi, Richard!) <dd>-----Original Message----- <dd>From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [<a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl"> mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</a>]On Behalf Of Richard Adkins <dd>Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 8:34 AM <dd>To: Caut <dd>Subject: [CAUT] Experiment Success <dd>Someone asked if there might be a way to make your own fabric softener/hammer softener....you'd want to know the ingredients....I guess you'll need to be a chemist or know one to get the proportions.... <dd>  <dd>You can find out ingredients by looking here: <dd>  <dd> <a href="http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/prodtree?prodcat=Home+inside&purpose=Laundry&type=fabric+softener"> http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/prodtree?prodcat=Home+inside&purpose=Laundry&type=fabric+softener</a> <dd>  <dd>click on the brand type....you can click on the ingredient name once the brand page is <dd>up...some have fancy names for what they put in there....I like the one they call "hydrogenated tallow"...now that sounds like something we'd like toput in a nice set of german piano hammers, doesn't it? <dd>  <dd>Downy does not list their ingredients, so I'm not sure if what you can find will actually work like Downy <dd>does....here's some more....also found in some hair rinses....leave the hair soft and silky.....maybe you <dd>could give the piano a real silky tone with it? <dd>  <dd>(C14-C18) Dialkyldimethylammonium methyl sulfate <dd>  <dd>Di (C14-1S-alkyl) dimethyl methyl sulfate <dd>  <dd>Didn't we used to have a Chemist/Caut member, or was that over on the other PTG list? <dd>  <dd>"Science.enotes.com"  has an article you might read: <dd>  <dd> <a href="http://science.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/fabric-softener"> http://science.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/fabric-softener</a> <dd>  <dd>cheers... <dd>  <dd>Richard Adkins <dd>Coe College </dl></blockquote></body> </html>