Reshaping VS new hammers

[jolly roger]

Hi Bob,
            Reshaping is a cost effective way to try and see if you can
find the tone you can live with for a while. Just a few hrs work including
the aftermath adjustments.   If you don't like the results change the
hammers.  You have lost very little.The touch will lighten a little from
the removal of some mass from the hammers.
I dislike using graphite any where in an action.  Generally it causes more
problems than it will solve.  
Ask your technician how many sets of hammers he has changed, this is not a
job for the inexperienced to do unsupervised.
Regards Roger


At 09:05 AM 8/1/01 -0400, you wrote:
>I am considering replacing or reshaping the hammers in my 1926 Steinway
>model M.  Hammers are Steinway, were last replaced in 1966.  Voicing no
>longer is able to resolve the tonal variation, they are just too worn for
>that.  However my tech (not an RPT) thinks that reshaping will get a few
>more years out of them and bring the tone back to what it should be.  I
>would be interested in your thoughts on this......I wonder how this will
>affect the "feel" of the instrument, there was talk of lubing the action
>with graphite as well........ 
>
>Bob Luderer
>Acctg & IS Manager
>