Susan Kline observed... > I think that the amount of vodka used will be critical. It was easy, when I > used it, to put on too much, and get the shoulders too fluffy. I find that > steaming also reshapes the felt, so I need to file afterwards. With very > hard (Samick grand) hammers, the steam raised little ridges at the end of > the cut marks, where the felt had been compressed but not yet worn away, as > it was in the center. These little wads had to be filed away. > > I suppose it depends on what sort of hammer one is treating, and on the > amount of wear it has. > I treated liquid voicing as I did my Dampp-Chaser sales...I started with the piano most in need of help! My own "rent-a-wreck" piano, a Young Chang that I got really cheap from a dealer, had all the tonal subtlety of a handful of rocks on a tin roof. The perfect starting point. No impression on these (alleged) hammers could be made with needles...so I tried an application of 80% denatured alcohol and 20% water...the third application was getting closer to a civilised sound, without impairing the overall power and volume. I didn't want to kill it - given it's intended use, just to get it down to a dull roar, you know, something I could stand tuning without the need for industrial ear-muffs! Interestingly, the deformation of the hammers was not great! I have since applied much less liquid and had much more deforamation...so your comment on hammer type applies. My first steam voicing opportunity came when I fitted a set of Samick upright hammers (and new butts) to a Solero (no-name US 1930's ish) for my neighbour and due to a set of circumstances I won't bore you all with, I needed to reduce it's somewhat punchy sound to a level tolerable to her (and us next door!!) and it had to be done hastily! So Vodka Voicing was out...I didn't have time to be filing hammers. Again, the list pays off! 15 minutes with crude implements (the iron defies description), a linen rag and a bowl of water and the sound was magnificent (if I say so myself!). There was no really detectable change in hammer shape...but it sure beat doing heaps of pre-voicing and all I needed was another 10 minutes later with a single needle pick to even things out (a day or two later when the steam had settled down) I haven't had an opportunity to try it again, but am looking forward to it. Cheers Mark Bolsius Canberra Australia > Amazing, who would have thought a few years ago that we would > be trading info across the international date line? We're not that far away! It's just tomorrow here when it's yesterday there...I think? Where else can you leave on a jet and arrive ten minutes before you left after ten or more hours flying ? I really want to try steaming a good set of hammers (cautiuosly of course)
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC