This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment I would recommend considering replacing the entire = hammer/shank/knuckle/flange assembly (your pinning is likely all over = the place anyway, and look at your knuckles - they are likely flattened = out and all gooped up with graphite or worse things - good pinning and = new knuckles will go an LONG WAY in improving the performance of that = action - don't foget to consider action geometry - you may be able to = improve it further with an improved center-pin to knuckle dimension). = For my first set of hammers I replaced I dealt with Wally Brooks (Blooks = LTD - WWBrooks@AOL.COM ). He basically held my hand, told me the few = things that I needed to do, and he and his crew did the rest. No muss, = no fuss, excellent results. He will send you back the complete assembly, = all hammers attached (straight!) and all hammers trimmed/tapered and = tails shaped real nice. It's not horribly much more cost to replace = everything - especially considering that you won't be tempted to charge = your client for the 47 attempts at glueing on the new hammers straight, = etc. His costs for boring and mounting and shaping the hammers is WAY = less than what you and I (I have never bored my own hammers, etc. - yet) = would need to charge to make it worth our time (unless we are looking = for some education!). This way, you take off a few sample hammers. Make a few measurements = (like what Dale Erwin described). Send samples to Wally Brooks. Wait = week or two. Screw new hammer/shank/flange assemblies on to hammer rail. = Send Wally money. Easy as that. Unless you are really ready to dive into = becoming a hammer installation pro - this is the easy way to go while = still expecting superior results. IMHO My first time replacing hammers was with an old Baldwin R. The woman - a = professional musician - had another tech replace the original hammers a = couple years ago with some new Yamaha hammers (go figure!). She was very = unhappy with the results and still had an action that played like a = truck - I called Wally Brooks and he recommended a set of Abel Lights = and new shanks/knuckles/flanges. He had me measure the center-pin to = knuckle dimension of the old parts and he knew right away that the piano = had bad parts on it. We changed the center-pin to knuckle dimension = (selected shanks with a shorter dimension) and WOW was the customer = happy with the results. The piano sounds great and plays great. = Touchweight went from over 70 grams DW to about 50 grams DW. Wally = helped me look like I knew what I was doing! Terry Farrell =20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ed Carwithen=20 To: Piano Tech List=20 Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2001 10:40 PM Subject: hammer replacement Dear List. I am working on a Hamilton/Baldwin 5' grand. The owner has decided = that he wants to replace the hammers due to damage from wine spilled = into piano. What am I letting myself in for?? I will get the new = hammers from Schaff. They list several weights; 12 lb, 14 lb, 16 lb. = Which should I ask for? They also list a striking distance of 1 7/8, 2" = and 2-1/8". The action handbook says a blow distance of 1 7/8", but the = Schaff catalogue says to "measure from the center of the bore hole to = the top of the felt, allowing for wear on #88 hammer." Whoa... what the = heck does this mean when I have already shaped the hammers and taken off = felt? Ed Carwithen John Day =20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e3/3d/9f/e3/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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