Water on hammers

[stanwood]

Bill Simon Writes:

>My question is, why would anyone use water-laden alcohol on wool felt
>hammers? I would think that if the idea of washing out excess lacquer is
>worthwhile, then use waterless lacquer thinner, and flood the hammer with
>enough to dissolve some lacquer and have it drip out of the hammer.  Alcohol
>is the solvent for shellac, but use denatured alcohol! 

>I would think that the immediate effect of the alcohol water solution is the f
>act that the water is swelling the wool felt. I would think also that just
>putting stuff on and letting it dry would at best only move the lacquer
>around to different parts of the hammer. You are not getting rid of anything
>unless you can sactually get the lacquer out of the hammer. 

>I just do not see any logic to using a solution with a high percentage of
>water on hammers. I have seen a lot of hammers damaged by water.

You seemed to have answered your own question.  The water releases the
resiliancy that was lost from hot pressing the felt during the making of the
hammer and restores the over lacquered hammer.  The lacquer is still there,
the felt is just less dense as exhibited by its swelling.  

David C. Stanwood

"The art in hammer making has ever been to obtain a solid,
 firm foundation, graduating in softness and elasticity toward 
 the top surface, which latter has to be silky and elastic in 
 order to produce a mild, soft tone for pianissimo playing, but
 with sufficient resistace back of it to permit the hard blow of 
 fortissimo playing."                 - Alfred Dolge 1911