Voicing

[Farrell]

I took a "Steinway Parts" class given by Nick Gravagne, with Kent Webb in attendence. Part of the class was preping the new Steinway hammer. My clear (IMHO) recollection is that the hammers come UNlacquered from Steinway. Nick suggested trying them unlacquered in your piano first and see how they sound before applying lacquer. Sometimes the very soft hammer will be a good thing.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 2:51 AM
Subject: Re: Voicing


Well I'm surprised, I've hung many sets of D hammers and I don't think I've ever had one that was pre-lacquered.  Maybe just the luck of the draw.  It wasn't just the tone, the hammers still needed some additional lacquering and the felt wouldn't take the lacquer in a way that only prelacquered felt reacts.  

David Love

 ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Erwinspiano@aol.com 
  To: pianotech@ptg.org 
  Sent: September 19, 2002 8:56 PM
  Subject: Re: Voicing


  In a message dated 9/19/2002 5:39:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time, davidlovepianos@earthlink.net writes:



    Subj:Re: Voicing 
    Date:9/19/2002 5:39:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time
    From:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net
    Reply-to:pianotech@ptg.org
    To:pianotech@ptg.org
    Sent from the Internet 



    On a similar note, I got a set of D hammers from Steinway recently.  They were definitely prejuiced.  Not sure with what.  Never had that happen before.  Is this something new?

    David Love

             David


             Not new. I've heard this for years that the felt is pre laquered before pressing. To me this makes sense since they're pressing method doesn't provide for  much true compression or tension or density.I belive this to be by design. Pre - lacquering makes the felt stiffer which helps densify it some during pressing. It's forced to stretch and bend a bit more rather than just mush into the caul and around tha molding. 
     The problem as I see it is that the method, isn't consistent. I've had some sets that needed very little stiffening solution and others...well  Dave ,you know
  >>>>>Dale




      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Erwinspiano@aol.com 
      To: pianotech@ptg.org 
      Sent: September 19, 2002 1:33 PM
      Subject: Re: Voicing


      In a message dated 9/18/2002 9:23:52 PM Pacific Daylight Time, RNossaman@cox.net writes:

                 Ron
                 This doesn't surprise me a bit. Ari ,at least in the past, prejuiced all his hammer sets with a plexiglass solution to some degree unless you specifically request none. He is fairly consistent about it but sometimes some get stiffer than others. Great hammers. Still more variables ehh
         Dale

        Yet with my soundboards, I've needled the Isaacs down. I don't think it's 
        knowing the hammer as much as knowing the hammer in relation to the scaling 
        and soundboard assembly of the specific piano.

        Ron N