[pianotech] Appropriate replacement hammers for Winter spinet?

J Patrick Draine jpdraine at gmail.com
Wed Jan 5 17:39:55 MST 2011


The answer is . . . Ronsen. I've done it, and the results were as "great" as
a Winter spinet can be.
Patrick

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 6:49 PM, Kurt Baxter <fortefile at gmail.com> wrote:

> I know, the correct answer is "none", but hear me out...
>
> I just did an evaluation on an actually rather pretty Winter spinet from
> the 40s (post ivory, pre plastic elbows). The piano has sentimental value,
> has been in the family a long time, and was refinished (skillfully) by the
> wife's father. It's one of those ornate "grand lyre" style cases
> with beautifully book-matched semi-burled walnut.
>
> Besides a handful of other more minor problems, the big one is that the
> hammer felt is falling off. A few hammers have been replaced (poorly), some
> have been "repaired" with a thumb tack, about 6 are missing felt completely,
> and quite a few more are starting to tear off. I told the customer that the
> piano cannot be made playable without new hammers, and they want to go ahead
> with the repairs.
>
> The customer is pleased with the tone/touch of the piano as-is, so my goal
> is to match the character and weight of the original hammers as closely as
> possible.
>
> Will I be able to buy hammers that are small/soft enough to be appropriate?
> Cold or hot pressed?
>
> Are there any unique problems involved in rehammering a spinet?
>
> I get the impression spinets seldom (if ever) get new hammers, so I was
> wondering if there was any reason besides the obvious "costs more than the
> piano is worth" issue, which is not a relevant factor in this case.
>
>
>
>
> -kurt
>
>
>
>
>
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