To All, A while back, there was a thread about the virtues of various hammers, i.e. hot pressed, Cold pressed, etc. I posed the question to Eric Schandall and he was most gratious to give me permission to post a blurb on how their hammers are made, etc. Eric, hopes that this will not lead to a big brohaha, etc., and wishes to extend the offer of further information, by contacting Steinway Service Department. Well, here it is: "There are three presses involved: two pre-bending presses that are at about 180 degrees F, one for the underfelt and one for the outer felt. The final press is also at about 180 degrees F. I do not know at what temperatures other manufacturers are pressing their hammers. The heat in the final press activates the glue, a urea formaldehyde two-part type. When one talks about cold- and hot-pressed hammers I do not know what specific temperatures are being referred to, as it is likely relatively hot or cold. One of the differences between our hammers and others in the field is the density of the felt sheet from which the hammers are made. As the sheet from which our hammers are made is less dense, thus allowing lacquer to penetrate, our approach relies on lacquer to stiffen the felt to the right resilience. Another approach to making hammers would be to rely on denser felt from the original sheet, leaving the hammers over-stiffened as they come from the press, then to rely on needling to regain the correct resilience. An example of this hammer would be found in our Hamburg production. It is common practice to use a 5% lacquer to 95% thinner solution to stiffen the bass and treble where needed in this type hammer. Heat or no heat in production is only part of the equation and only one factor among a great many. Steinway & Sons Eric Schandall Administrator, Technical Training and Education" I hope that this will clarify how Steinway makes their hammers and how much heat they use, etc. Best Regards, Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon) Captain, Tool Police Squares Are I P.S. A big "thank you" to Eric, from me and hopefully a few of you. <G>
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