Hammer softener: One thing you might try is take a plastic squeeze bottle and mark it off for 8 equal sections with a felt tip pen. Pour it to the lowest mark with Downy "Regular Strength" fabric softener. Then fill the bottle to the top with Isopropyl Alcohol 90% mix. This is special rubbing alcohol that is stronger than normal but found in the Walgreen's near you. Other brands of fabric softener makes globs in the bottom, Downy dissolves. This is 1 part to 7 parts softener to Alcohol. I suspect you could also use methanol. I thoroughly saturate the hammers all around but not enough to drip. I use about quarter to half a bottle on a set of hammers. I then leave them to dry overnight. The hammers also smell SOOOO nice, too. If the hammers are hard because someone lacquered them this won't help that much. If someone used acetone and plastic keytop on them you're out of luck again. If these are just old hard hammers it will work wonders. Of course shaping should be done first. You actually can over soften them. But they will harden up again before long while the customer saves up for new hammers. D.L. Bullock St. Louis www.thepianoworld.com ____________________
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC