Groovy Hammers

[atonal@telusplanet.net]

Thanks to everyone for the replies on grand hammer tail grooving. 
The inquiry came about because I have to replace a set of 
hammers on a 1928 4'11" Baldwin that had deep grooves cut into 
the old hammers. Consequently, the catchers had deep grooves as 
well. I have never found a tool that would cut grooves that deeply, 
and was wondering if they were really needed. Most of the replies 
say that with proper tail shaping, they are not. 
	Just to leave something to think about... every new grand 
(Asian, North American, and European) that I have seen in the last 
two weeks has grooves cut into the hammer tails, some deep, 
some shallow. Is this a new way to reduce hammer weight? 8-) 

	In any event, 80 grit sandpaper on my sanding disk is how I 
usually shape tails as  well, with a couple of passes with a rasp to 
rough them up a bit. 

	Thanks for the replies, 

	Oh, and I should mention that my web page has been re-
instated at: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/atonal

Regards, 


Rob Kiddell, 
Registered Piano Technician, PTG
atonal@telusplanet.net

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