Yes, S&S and others used felt knuckles and felted butts. The reason was two fold, Nixon imposed an embargo on Brazilian imports (a major source of leather for our industry) and the fashion market decided it needed buckskin skirts. Guess who had the purchasing power. At another time the fashion folks decided cork wedgies were the "thing". We all had to pay more for wine because the cost of corks went up ten cents each to the bottlers. Guess who paid for that ephemeral scene. Those knuckles are problematic at best. Best choice, replace hammers and shanks and regulate to nicety. Replacing knuckles is also an option but smaller knuckles can change the touch, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. You will have to experiment. Newton
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