<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" = xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C4AC93.7D00C930">  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple = style='tab-interval:.5in' id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1> I hesitate to = say what needs to be done to the hammers not knowing what there condition is = now.  But generally speaking, the = area below the crown needs to be pretty hard depending on the piano—at least = in most of the capo section.  Since = you are dealing with a lacquered hammer the only way to get it there really is = by letting it soak in from the shoulders as the C&A guys teach.  Some people then put a drop or = two of pure acetone on the crown to keep the surface from getting too crusty = and pingy.  A little ping is ok as you need = that high harmonic to come out a little but too much can be a problem.  One reason I hesitate to say is = that I find that different pianos or different soundboards, if you will, = respond differently.  Some boards = will take a harder hammer than others.  I can’t say I quite understand all the variables that account for = that—part of my current learning curve—but some of it is stiffness, mass, ribbing, = etc..  I can say that if the treble = section on a Steinway doesn’t have focus and isn’t obnoxiously thwacky, = then the problem can be that the hammer is not hard enough underneath.  Sometimes you see this when the = hammer is brought to a level of brightness or perceived power by just adding a = drop of lacquer or keytop to the crown--a thumbtack on a pillow.  When you pull the thumbtack = out, the hammers mushy understructure no longer supports any tone = production.   So if you needle the crown a = little and the piano seems to suddenly lose all power, it may be that the inside of = the hammer is too soft.  But I = can’t really say from here.  =  Iron fist may be overstating it = or not really a good analogy, and most of this is empirical anyway, but it = seems to me that you want the hammer to resist increasingly the more you try and = compress it, like a spring.  So you = try and produce a gradient of density by, in this case, adding lacquer in such a = way that the natural tendency of the hammer to be more dense at the center = and less toward the surface is enhanced, not altered.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net <o:p></o:p> </div> -----Original = Message----- From: = caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On = Behalf Of Wimblees@aol.com Sent: Thursday, October = 07, 2004 4:29 PM To: caut@ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] more = problems with the D <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div> In a message dated 10/7/04 6:21:29 PM Central Daylight Time, davidlovepianos@comcast.net writes:<o:p></o:p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue = 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> I would opt for = string seating, making sure the hammers are hard enough underneath and = aren’t mushing out in the upper area of the piano, hammer = shape and fitting.  For focus I = think you need a pretty firm supporting structure of the hammer that is not too = hard on the crown—iron fist in a velvet glove. <o:p></o:p> </blockquote> </div> <div> David<o:p></o:p>= </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p= > </div> <div> This summer I spent quite a bit of time making sure the strings and = hammers are level, etc. Since this is pretty much in the capo area, I will again = make sure the strings are seated on the V bar, and on the bridges. = <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p= > </div> <div> To make sure I understand you right, though, for the hammers, should add = hardener to the shoulders, and then soften up the top? Or just harden up the = underneath, and leave the tops alone?<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p= > </div> <div> Wim = <o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>