[pianotech] Fabric softener on hard hammers

[David Love]

And waste good vodka!

I don't like to do the pliers thing, though I have on rare occasion.  Deep
needling on an upright (especially this upright) is more than I want to put
my fingers through.  The vodka ideas is pretty much the same as the alcohol
idea it's just the water percentage that may vary but I appreciate the
suggestions from everyone.  

I may actually go the steam route, it's easier than lifting the jackhammer
and it's a bit more controllable.  I've not gone the fabric softener route
before and mostly I'm worried about control so steam may very well be the
best option, that is, short of referring them to someone else...if only his
other piano wasn't so nice...

  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Susan Kline
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 11:00 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Fabric softener on hard hammers

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