<!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 6.00.6000.16525" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="WORD-WRAP: break-word; khtml-nbsp-mode: space; khtml-line-break: after-white-space" bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>As far as I have been able to determine that refers only to the shoulder hardening/reinforcing that has been common to Steinway (along with several others) since sometime during the late 1800s. It does not mean that any chemical hardening was used on the working portion of the hammer.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>During the mid-1970s I spent a week at the Steinway factory. During this week I was able to observe just about every step of the building process at my leisure, including hammer making and installation. At that time it was not common practice to automatically chemically harden the hammers. The hammers on those pianos that ended up in their own selection room may have been chemically hardened--that I wouldn't know about. But the pianos we received (including Model Ds) showed no evidence of chemical hardening. And, no, I didn't have them chemically analyzed but they were reasonably soft and resilient with needles going in smoothly and easily. In those days replacement hammers came to us without any chemical hardening and they felt and voiced just like the hammers we were finding in the new pianos.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007> <P><FONT size=2>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant<BR>620 South Tower Avenue<BR>Centralia, Washington 98531  USA<BR>Phone  360.736-7563<BR><<A href="mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com">mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com</A>> </FONT></P></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=890503919-22092007><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Chris Solliday<BR><B>Sent:</B> September 22, 2007 10:32 AM<BR><B>To:</B> College and University Technicians<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] S&S Hammers and lacquer<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In fact Steinway has been reinforcing hammers chemically since at least 1911. It may not have been  lacquer per se but... see the discussion in Piano Tone Building recently edited by Del Fandrich and available from The Foundation. You've got to go along way to find hammers with no reinforcement in Steinway's history. As Fred implies we can learn to work with these hammers, and frankly despite attempts at conformity and consistency every set from every manufacturer has and always will be different (such indulgent hyperbole) so you've got to learn to build tone and knock it down, both brillance and carry.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I for one am grateful. If tone weren't such an issue I wouldn't have as strong a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and we all know what the absence of that could lead to.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Chris Solliday</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=fssturm@unm.edu href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">Fred Sturm</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">College and University Technicians</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 21, 2007 7:59 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] S&S Hammers and lacquer</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV> <DIV>On Sep 21, 2007, at 12:30 PM, Jeff Tanner wrote:</DIV><BR class=Apple-interchange-newline> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"> <DIV>And so, if hammers were replaced by technicians in the field who didn't know to, didn't know how to, or chose not to use lacquer or shellac, this would explain why someone would find hammers from a NY 1920s D to not contain anything but felt.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>My question would have to be that if the ideal hammer was one that did not require lacquer -- if the sound they are looking for really required a hammer that did not require lacquer, then why spend $1 million plus <<recently>> on a new hammer press to manufacture hammers that still require lacquer? How much sense does that make?</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Why not just call up Renner and say, hey guys, pick up production -- we're switching to your Wurzen hammers because they produce the sound we've always been searching for?</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Jeff</DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR> <DIV>Hi Jeff,</DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=Apple-tab-span style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></SPAN>I don't think you can argue that there was a grand design way back when (1920 or before) to create the Steinway sound via felt impregnated with hardener. I agree that they have decided today that that is the way they want to go, without excuses or regrets, but I think they got there slowly. That's what the history I have been able to gather tells me, regardless of the "official line" that "they have always been that way." That's why I included the anecdote about Franz Mohr in my earlier post. Why wouldn't the chief C & A tech be clued in if this was really a planned company policy? Franz is one of the most true blue Steinway guys around, and will tell you endlessly what a perfect instrument it is. So why would he, just a year ago or so, tell me that the reason they used lacquer in the 60s and 70s was because the hammers they had those days weren't good enough? It just doesn't add up. </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=Apple-tab-span style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></SPAN>I'm happy with current policy and production. I can work with it, and lots of pianists and techs are satisfied, regardless of other arguments. But let's not try to re-write history. <BR> <DIV> <DIV>Regards,</DIV> <DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV> <DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV> <DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>