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<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 8/25/2004 8:36:08 PM Pacific Standard Time,
awright440@cinci.rr.com writes:</DIV>
<DIV> Allan</DIV>
<DIV> I've used this technique commonly & it is a legitimate and
effective tool. Use Samples first before wholesale application Allan.
Douse a few & wait The adjust. It only takes an hour & a half before=
the
lacquer is dry enough (90%) to test you application in the bass. I learned t=
hat
the hard way too. It's a great tool. Baldwin hammers of most vintages are
notoriously lousy so be careful</DIV>
<DIV> Dale</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000=
000
size=2>Colleagues,<BR><BR>I'm not certain this ideahas been discussed on t=
he
list, but I seem to <BR>remember that it has, else it might not have occurre=
d to
me as a <BR>serious option. I pass it on in case it might be useful for othe=
rs
in a <BR>similar situation.<BR><BR>I voiced a 7 year old Baldwin L for a sto=
re.
A church was interested in <BR>buying it, but wanted it voiced up - particul=
arly
the entire bass <BR>section, which was very noticeably quieter and with a
different tone <BR>than the rest.<BR><BR>Some light keytop solution on some
notes brought up the treble end <BR>nicely to match the middle, but I felt t=
hat
the bass needed a bigger <BR>boost, so in the shop I gave it a 4 : 1 hit wit=
h
lacquer. The majority <BR>of my lacquering experience has been with Steinway=
s
(lots of them), and <BR>this 4 : 1 solution probably would've been about per=
fect
for that. But <BR>I'm steadily realizing that Baldwin hammers react more tes=
tily
to <BR>hardeners. The bass was way louder than I intended when I got it back=
<BR>in. Mild panic set in, as needling obviously wasn't curing the
problem.<BR><BR>I thought about steaming, or perhaps using the Pianotek hamm=
er
<BR>softener, but didn't have either in the car. So I decided to try
<BR>flushing out some of the lacquer with acetone. On with the fume mask <BR=
>and
out to the back porch with a nice breeze blowing: I forcefully <BR>squirted =
a
good half bottle of acetone down onto each hammer, with the <BR>overflow goi=
ng
through my funnel into another bottle.<BR><BR>When they dried, I could feel =
that
they were obviously softer. When I <BR>put the action back in the piano the =
next
day the tone was right where <BR>I had intended it to be, with the bass perh=
aps
even slightly softer <BR>than the mid-section now.<BR><BR>I imagine the lacq=
uer
in the strike point area tends to be flushed down <BR>into the shoulders, wi=
th
more remaining there than in the top. Which is <BR>probably not a bad
scenario.<BR><BR>It had been an act of skeptical semi-desperation, but it wo=
rked
<BR>perfectly. The phrase "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" ran
<BR>through my head as I drove home in great relief.<BR><BR>Oh, and the bott=
le
of acetone I used is now slightly yellow with the <BR>lacquer that it pulled=
out. It's probably more like the ratio I should <BR>have used to start with!=
I'll save it for some future job involving a <BR>light hardener
solution.<BR><BR>For what it's worth,<BR><BR>Allen Wright, RPT<BR>NKU, Xavie=
r
University<BR>Cincinnati<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"=
>Erwins Pianos
Restorations <BR>4721 Parker Rd.<BR>Modesto, Ca 95357<BR>209-577-8397<BR>Reb=
uilt
Steinway , Mason &Hamlin
Sales<BR>www.Erwinspiano.com</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>