Susan: I think the problem with using hardeners on the crown of soft hammers without reinforcing the structure underneath is that you can end up with the thumbtack-in-the-marshmallow-sound. When you play softly, the piano seems to have some power, but as you start to force it and compress the hammer down to the underlying structure the hammer just flattens out and you get nothing. The difficulty lies in reinforcing the hammer deep without allowing the stronger lacquer to creep to the surface. I've gone to adding lacquer from the sides when I want to build up the overall firmness. You can direct the lacquer deep underneath the strike point (where it is needed) without letting it creep up to the crown. On a Steinway hammer, getting the lacquer under the crown is essential. Reinforcing the from the shoulders has little or no effect if the lacquer doesn't creep under the strike point. Several drops on each side of the hammer will penetrate without getting to the crown and you can control just how close to the crown you want it to go. Basically, the lower in the scale, the farther from the crown. I also use two solutions for reinforcing switching to a slightly weaker solution as I get into the low tenor and bass. After you have built up the underlying structure of the hammer (which you test by playing loud when the lacquer is thoroughly dry), you can then address the attack with a weaker solution. Adjustments in the reinforcing can be done again from the side if you find that the hammer is not quite firm enough without effecting the attack. David Love ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Kline" <sckline@attbi.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: July 15, 2002 11:42 AM Subject: Re: Shellac vs. lacquer Thanks, David. That's the kind of detailed information which is helpful. So far I've just used a few drops behind the strike point of mushy hammers, (which technique I picked up from Steve Brady, who used it to good effect once when I was watching) or a dilute solution applied to the crown in the top octave. I just haven't had the occasion to work out a lot of styles for voicing with shellac, so anyone else's experience with it is good to hear. "The shine without the ping" -- yes, that's what I'm after! Susan At 11:20 AM 7/15/2002 -0700, you wrote: >Just a comment on using lacquer. I assume you are talking about strike >point hardening since you mention that you don't use shellac to build up a >hammer from scratch. I still use lacquer but the solutions I use vary. For >crown lacquering I use a much more dilute solution than I use for building >up the overall density of the felt. Whereas I use a 3:1 or 4:1 solution for >building up a hammer from scratch, I will use a 5:1 for the crown (your >dilutions may vary depending on the type of lacquer you are using). At 5:1 >the attack will be slightly sharpened. One application of a couple of drops >is usually enough. When the hammer is first played after it dries there >will be a bit of crustiness. But a few blows shifting the una corda back >and forth as you play will break it up and leave just a bit more shine to >the attack without the any unwanted pinging.
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