Abel Hammers..trouble opening them up..help!

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
To: <phil@philbondi.com>; "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 1:50 PM
Subject: RE: Abel Hammers..trouble opening them up..help!
Phil and list,
         I've always been puzzled by this vice grip procedure. It seems 
obvious but just for clarification are the vice grip jaws placed on the 
flat sides of the hammers or opened up wide to accommodate the rounded 
shoulders?
Greg Newell

At 09:17 AM 10/31/2003, you wrote:

>Vice grip the crown area ever so slightly..just enough to feel the
>resistance in the vice grips, then steam the shoulders.

     [Vise vise vise!  A vice is a bad habit]  The vise grips are applied to the flat sides of the hammer.  If you adjust them so that the jaws are just a wee bit narrower than the width of the hammer, then they can't close all the way and you're not as likely to "go too far" with the squeezing.  I still use this tool despite arguments that it "destroys the felt", "is likely to pull the hammer felt off the moulding", etc.  If those things happen, you're doing it wrong.  I use them only for hammers that are extremely dense or hard, and as a prelude to finer voicing with a needle or needles.  If the voicing needle won't go into the felt even with a hard stab, or a weighted voicing tool handle, then the felt is too dang hard.  Squeeze them with Vise Grips!  Or soften them first with some liquid solution.  But squeeze only on the shoulders, not the strike point, except in extreme cases (and there are quite a few extremely bright pianos out there).  Admittedly it's harder to do in the high treble, because there's not much felt to grab, and sometimes it can "cup" the felt, but not too badly if you take it easy, and you can do a light gang-filing afterwards.  I don't see how it "destroys the felt" unless you're really mauling and mangling away at 'em. 
    --David Nereson, RPT