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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Susan & all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My theory (& that's all it is) is that the
hardener, at the proper dilution, will cling to the fibers, leaving some space
in between. Do I have any microscopic pictures of a disembowelled hammer
to show emperical evidence that this is actually happening? No, this is
the authority of ignorance speaking, but it seems logical to me, since there
seems to good penetration on subsequent doping of the hammers, along with
noticeable improvement in the tone. It would be interesting to look
at bits of hammer felt which had been doped with different substances &
dilutions. The colored shellac on your old hammers (get a reasonable
shape on them first) might be an interesting study, particularly if you started
with a lighter shellac & went to a darker one with each application, tried
different dilutions, application methods, etc.; try them on an action to see how
they sound (easier if you have some already on shanks), then cut them apart when
you were done to see how the penetration looks. My guess is that there
would be an arch across the width of the hammer as well, corresponding to the
distance to edge of the hammer/density, wicking action of the cut/uncut felt,
etc. Boy, is it easy to design experiments if you don't plan to do the
work! Have at it, Susan! ;-) Actually, it could be
very useful information. Maybe somebody has already done this.
Anybody know if anyone has gone this route before? No need to re-invent
the wheel.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm not sure that one hardener is inherently better
than another, but part of the reason that I like the keytop solution is the
color (or lack thereof). Then I can tell whether or not a mouse has
gotten in the piano & done a number on the hammers. :-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Otto</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=sckline@attbi.com href="mailto:sckline@attbi.com">Susan Kline</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> Monday, February 03, 2003 2:39
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: shell-shock</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Otto, I'm wondering if shellac would block like that,
preventing further applications from <BR>wicking in. It is awfully soluble in
alcohol. Is it possible that keytop is more impenetrable than shellac, after
setting up? Also, shellac is sort of brittle, so a little squeezing with
pliers after it has dried might break it up enough to let more solution into
the deeper parts of the hammer.<BR><BR>I suppose I could experiment on some
old, soft hammers and see. If I used one of the more colored shellacs, I could
determine better where the solids are ending up. <BR><BR>Susan<BR><BR>At 12:42
PM 2/3/2003 -0800, Otto wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=arial size=2>I think
the key with any substance used for juicing is having a dilution that allows
the hardening agent to penetrate to the depth desired without forming a
crust. Fred Drasche always stressed the "fill-in" method -- starting a
bit higher (I start at about 10 & 2 o'clock - on raw marshmallows) with
a bit of juice & then fill in below, allowing it to wick almost up to
the crown. The felt filters the solids out as the solvent wicks
through, leaving the hardener away from the crown, which avoids that
"ping". (Not always successful, mind you.) You'll notice it travel in
a bit of an arch -- faster through the outer/softer layers of the hammer,
& acetone flashes off quickly, so one has to watch closely & move
down the hammer to compensate. </FONT><BR> <BR><FONT face=arial
size=2>With the hardener diluted properly, the felt should still be porous,
allowing the 2nd application to penetrate. Acetone softens the
hardening agent & wicks it further into the hammer. My goal is to
get just enough hardener into the hammer to bond the fibers elastically, so
the resilience is still there. If my 2nd or 3rd application won't
penetrate, then I've gotten the stuff on too thick in the first place.
Then it doesn't matter what I've used as an agent, I'll have to soak the
junk out or throw out the hammers.</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT face=arial
size=2>Otto</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>