Alcohol and hard hammers

[Geoff Sykes]

Hi Roger --
 
Having the Journal CD's I found your article on Controllable Steam Voicing
in the May 1999 Journal. After reading it I'm going to abandon the tea
kettle idea and invest in a voicing iron like you describe. The method you
describe is both easy and controllable. And it's grace over brute force. I
like it. Thank you for your contribution to this question. 
 
-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Roger Jolly
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 8:04 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: Alcohol and hard hammers


Hi Geoff,
                    I DO NOT  advise using a steam kettle, one of my reasons
for writing the article in the Journal, a few years ago, was that there is
very little control, and very inconsistent results.
Give me you address off list and I will send you a reprint copy.
Alcohol and water tends to deform the hammer shape and you can very quickly
ruin a set of hammers, unless you have some voicing experience.
If you do not have an electric voicing iron, you can get the same results
using the tip of a clothes iron, it's just a little more difficult to work
with.
Regards Roger



At 11:55 PM 9/14/2006, you wrote:


Of course! I'd forgotten about the vice-grip trick. But wait, there's more.
I'm so glad that this list has an archive. After reading Alan's reply I did
a search on both vice grip voicing and steam voicing and was rewarded with
some very informative and helpful ideas. Including the suggestion of an 8 to
1 alcohol to fabric softener treatment from 1995. Steaming the hammer,
quickly, was the all around preferred method of dealing with extraordinarily
hard hammers. I think I'll pick up a little electric tea kettle on my way in
tomorrow morning and give steam a chance first before resorting to the vice
grip method. I almost feel like I'm about to perform a magic trick.
 
Thanks to all --
 
-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles
 
 


-----Original Message-----


From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [  <mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org>
mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan R. Barnard


Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 8:28 PM


To: pianotech at ptg.org


Subject: RE: Alcohol and hard hammers



I'd be leaping on those puppies with my modified Vice-grips (a la Wally
Brooks) followed by a lightly damp rag and the back side of my voicing iron,
i.e., steam.



The needle-in-a-Dremmel works well.



I'd try all those things before spending a day trying to, as one put it,
"split hickory knots using a corn dodger as a wedge and a pumpkin for a
mallet."



A quote for Texans: "The universal food of the people of Texas, both rich
and poor, seems to be corn-dodger and fried bacon."  Frederick Law Olmsted,
'A Journey Through Texas' (1856)



Alan Barnard


Salem, MO


Joshua 24:15









  _____  

Original message


From: "Geoff Sykes" 


To: "Pianotech at Ptg. Org" 


Received: 09/14/2006 8:09:38 PM


Subject: Alcohol and hard hammers



Tomorrow I have to go up against a new, out of the box, upright piano with
ROCK hard hammers. I have been asked to voice the hammers down significantly
in order to reduce the unpleasant brittle harsh cold sound. Last time I had
to do this I just aggressively needled away for a long time. Very
aggressively with lots of broken needles. Even after I was "finished" I was
still unable to get a needle in more than about 1mm. 



  

Not too long ago, on the list, I read that treating hard hammers with a
little alcohol would help un-compact the felt. However, these are new
hammers and are probably hard because of a hardening treatment. Today's
question is: Would a small alcohol treatment help? If not, what would you
suggest?



  

-- Geoff Sykes


-- Assoc. Los Angeles


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