[pianotech] Fabric softener on hard hammers

[Susan Kline]

David Love wrote:
> Tried the alcohol and water route with limited success, going to
> plan B before I set the explosives.
>
Have you tried squeezing the shoulders with a small pair of vise grips?

This, vodka on the strike face (more than my usual few drops), and some
deep needling have usually won the day for me, on even the most rock-like
hammers. For really flattened hammers given lots of vodka, ridges will tend
to form at the ends of the string grooves, where the felt is packed down
instead of flaked off. So one has to take a hammer file and restore an oval
shape after the vodka has been in there a few minutes.

I've avoided the Downy route -- I don't like leaving anything in hammers.

Susan Kline