Water on hammers

[Marcel Carey]

Hi List and all,

While on this subject, I just want to share the other use for woolite: Hard
damper felts. Last year as I was working on a let's say _Lesser Quality
Instrument_, I gave the bass dampers heads that were quite noisy this
woolite treatment and it did wonders. At first the liquid wouldn't go into
the felt so I had to slowly wet them but I really got them wet, waited two
days for them to dry and they were greatly improved.

Hope this can help .

Marcel Carey RPT

At 11:53 97-11-26 UT, you wrote:
>Hi Ralph and Bill,
>
>Altervatively to water/alcohol, I have used the fabric softener Woolite, cut 
>down with water quite a bit.  This helped a lot on a (Kimball?) or something 
>console (so long ago I can't remember the brand).  It had been so raucous
that 
>the client was ready to get rid of the piano.  The Woolite fluffed those 
>hammers enough to calm the customer.
>
>Rob Stuart-Vail
>
>----------
>From: 	owner-pianotech@ptg.org on behalf of ralph m martin
>Reply To: 	pianotech@ptg.org
>Sent: 	Tuesday, November 25, 1997 7:01 PM
>To: 	pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: 	Re: Water on hammers
>
>Hi Bill
>As a matter of fact, Baldwin used to (maybe still does) recommend
>isopropyl alcohol for softening their somewhat hard hammers. Some techs
>(including me) use a wetting agent like fabric softener with it. (usually
>a 1-7 dilution). Alcohol does the work though. The optional wetting agent
>is for more penetration.
>
>regards
>Ralph Martin
>
>  
>On Tue, 25 Nov 1997 17:54:09 -0500 (EST) BSimon1234@aol.com writes:
>>
>>In a message, a technician wrote:
>>
>><<If you find one with hammers that have literally been SATURATED with
>>lacquer, tighten the butt or flange srews and align them, file them 
>>and soak
>>the tips with 70% rubbing alcohol that you buy at a drug or 
>>convienience
>>store for less than $1.00 per pint.   The remaining 30% is distilled
>>water, therefore, as the product comes in the bottle, it is a very low 
>>cost,
>>premixed shrinking solution, hammer softener, cleaner and whatever 
>>other use
>>you might find for it.  If your first application of alcohol to the 
>>hammers
>>is not enough, repeat the process.  >>
>>
>>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.
>>
>>Perhaps some on the list have had good experiences with waterlogging 
>>hammers,
>>any comment?
>>
>>Bill Simon
>>Phoenix
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
Marcel Carey, RPT
Sherbrooke, QC