Kimball grand replacement hammers

[Susan Kline]

Lance --

Before you totally give up on the old set you might try steaming them.
Electric kettle half full, steaming away, swing the hammer head in and out
(don't let it sit in the steam). Light filing completes the job, to restore
the squareness to the strike face. You can be done in 1/2 hour, and it makes
a dramatic difference. If even that doesn't do the trick, you'll probably
need to replace them.

I think there's some stuff in the archive about this. Search: "steaming hammers"

Susan

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At 10:29 AM 9/19/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I've got a church with a 70's Kimball 6''7" Viennese Classic grand in the
>sanctuary.  I have reshaped, voiced, string voiced and regulated this
>piano, and it STILL sounds like a Kimball.  It just has a nasty, noisy
>sound.  They are willing to replace the hammers IF it will improve the
>sound. I believe they used Imedegawa hammers originally.  They are not worn
>to their death yet.  I am considering what a set of German hammers (Abel?)
>would do for the piano.   They'll be getting a better piano when they move
>to a new facility in a year, but would like to keep this one for the choir
>room if it can be improved.
>
>1) What % of the sound would be improved by better hammers?
>
>2) What hammers would you use?
>
>I consider myself a pretty good tech at voicing, have seated the strings,
>seated hammers to the strings, voiced hammers, etc., etc.  Thanks in
>advance!!!!!
>Lance Lafargue, RPT
>New Orleans Chapter
>Covington, LA.
>lafargue@iamerica.net
>
>

Susan Kline
P.O. Box 1651
Philomath, OR 97370
skline@proaxis.com