<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">I will suggest that you try a solution of one gram blonde shellac flakes to one ounce of wood alcohol.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">Soak in from the upper shoulders until the hammer is wet.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">Let dry a few hours for first test, full brightness after about 12 hours.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">You can add more shellac solution, or soak out with pure alcohol if you don't like it, as it is easily dissolved by alcohol.  Alcohol smells better than lacquer thinner, and the dry flakes have a shelf life of perhaps a century.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">I find it voices easily, and like the tone, which to me is warm and full without brittleness.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">I have heard that when piano factories used shellac in the finish, shellac was used to harden hammers.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">I don't have a lot of experience with Steinway hammers, but have used shellac in a school where all the hammers were excessively softened, and got good results.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">You might try on a few sample hammers to start.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif">Ed Sutton</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=HepplerA@aol.com href="mailto:HepplerA@aol.com"></A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 5/20/2005 10:43:45 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] Schimmel attacked by fabric softener</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>One quick question for you more experienced techs out there. . . <DIV>    I have a 7' Schimmel on consignment in the store I work for that needs some radical changes in the voicing.  To the request of the previous owner, the bass and upper treble sections have been voiced down considerably.  Unfortunately, the tooner used fabric softener as well as excessive steam, as I'm guessing from the shrinkage.  I have just spent a couple weeks with Boesendorfer in one-on-one voicing training, so I'm comfortable with most voicing jobs, but this is nasty.  The top 1/4" or so is as soft as gym socks, it smells like Downy, and there's even a few scorch marks in the bass.  Is there any point in trying to save this set of hammers, or should I save myself the agony and just replace them?  O.K., now, control your grimaces. :)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Elizabeth Heppler, R.P.T.</DIV> <DIV>Montana State University - Bozeman</DIV></DIV></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>