Key Pounder and Bike Tape

[MITCH KIEL]

KEY POUNDER
        A few years ago, I made a key pounder out of brass and some pinblock
scrap.
         I drilled and tapped a hole in one end of a 4" length of 1" brass
round stock and screwed in 1/2" of a 1" piece of 1/4" threaded rod (I matched
the thread size on an old multi-angle voicing tool I already owned, thereby
creating a *weighted* voicing tool handle for free, which quite frankly I
rarely use in that capacity.). I then bandsawed out a 1 1/4" long by 3/4"
diameter cylinder out of birch-ply pinblock material (like a plug, with
laminations on the width). Onto one end of the cylinder I glued hammer felt
(3/4" round  and 1/4" thick). Then I drilled a hole in the other end and,
without tapping, screwed it onto the threaded rod til it was flush with the
brass handle.  Then I wrapped the cylinder with some woven red felt. Voila, un
pounder magnifique.
        I don't use the pounder for every tuning, nor exclusively throughout
any one tuning. I use it in conjunction with my SAT and/or during my final
pass to check unisons and stability. I put it down quite often to listen to
intervals, run parallel tests, etc.
        With my brass key pounder, not only do I protect my fingertips, but it
allows me to relax my hand quite a lot, which insulates my body from that
head-rattling "rebound." Relaxing my hand helps me keep my whole body relaxed,
which is good for my tuning effectiveness and my general frame of mind.
        BTW, there's no reason to assume that using a heavy brass pounder
mandates mega-test blows. That's certainly not how I use it. The strength of
the test blow depends on the distance I "drop" it. I like to tune unisons by
listening at various volume levels, and have therefore learned to use the
pounder to deliver test blows from pp to fff.
        Ron Torella: I'm afraid your design of strapping a brass key pounder
to one's hand to allow for interval playing would make my shoulder and arm
muscles real sore. You must be built like Ahhnold :)
        And I strongly agree with Richard West's point that EDTs can help with
tuning stability.

BIKE TAPE
        About six months ago, I wrapped bicycle handlebar tape onto both my
Hale tuning hammer and my Mehaffey impact hammer. I think it's a wonderful
improvement. The bike tape provides great shock absorption and improved
traction (sounds like a car commercial). It also soaks up perspiration, a real
benefit for a sweat hog like me.
        Here's how I did it:
        I bought bicycle handlebar tape with the most padding I could find. I
think it was called "Chunky Tape" and cost about $12. It comes in all kinds of
groovy colors and wild patterns; I used black.
        For my wooden handled Hale hammer, I used one entire length of tape,
leaving exposed 1 1/2" of wooden handle at the tip end, where I've attached a
1" band of self-adhesive fuzzy velcro for my Reyburn SAT thumb switch. (I
attached small strips of fuzzy velcro to the sides of the thumb switch to
improve contact with the 5" velcro hook strip that comes it.) At the other end
of the hammer, I wrapped the bike tape to create a ball-like bulge 2" in
diameter.
        I used the second strip of bike tape on my impact hammer, which I
employ for tuning all verticals. It's a Mehaffey impact hammer with a 3/8"
steel shaft about 8" long.
        (Short comment: When I first got the impact hammer, I removed the
steel weight that came with it and replaced it with a 2 1/2" length of 1"
brass round stock (drilled and tapped). I ground the brass weight down till it
felt just right, which for me is lighter than the original steel weight. My
brass weight is 1 3/4" long.)
        Starting at the tip, I wrapped the bike tape onto 5" of the steel
shaft, leaving 3" unwrapped. I wrapped the tape to create a pear-shaped bulge
about 1 3/4 inches fat and 3 inches long that fits my palm perfectly. Over the
bike tape (near the weight) I put a band of self-adhesive fuzzy velcro to
attach the Reyburn SAT thumbswitch.
        The bike tape, being self-adhesive, sticks OK when you start winding
it. But it needs a little cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) to keep the end from
unraveling.

Here's my procedure:

* As always, use only fresh CA glue.
* The CA glue absolutely loves the bike tape and will bond instantly; you'll
only get one chance at attachment.
* Don't oversoak the tape with glue or you'll create a hard spot.
* And please don't glue your hand to the tuning hammer or the tape. Have some
acetone nearby in case you do.

        Clamp your hammer into a padded bench vise. Wrap the tape as described
above, leaving about 4" of the end free. With vise-grip pliers, firmly grab
the end of the tape. Starting about 1" from the end, spread a thin layer of CA
glue 2" along the inside of the tape. Apply some well-targeted glue to the
tape already on the hammer. Pull the tape tight and stick it. The CA glue will
probably take less than 10 seconds to set, but keep pressure on it for at
least a minute to be sure. While waiting, rub the edges of the tape with a
stick to ensure a bond. Then, using scissors, cut off the tape close to the
glue joint. Round the corners, then dab glue under the tape as needed to
finish your attachment procedure.

        At first, all this padding and extra equipment made me feel a bit
foolish; when tuning with full regalia including earplugs, I imagined I looked
like Eric Dickerson (moderately obscure football reference).
        But the results are real: my bad back stays healthier, my left wrist
AND right palm have stopped hurting, my hammer technique has improved, and  my
concentration holds up better.