<HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY> Of Course this is a Yamaha and= there are no real problems, just the normal compaction. = I'm still looking for your article.  I believe I use clean= linen and a non-stick iron.  Wet linen, wring out till just= barely damp, lay across hammers and run the iron over the strike= point.  Hopefully, as you say, the grooves will pop= out.  Then I dry iron the hammers to regain some firmness= to the tone...am I close? David I.     ----- Original message= ----------------------------------------> From: jolly= roger <<A= href="mailto:baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca">baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca</A= >> To: <<A= href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>> Rec= eived: Sat, 24 Aug 2002 02:48:47 -0500 Subject: Re: Singing= Samick Hi David,  Another of my= off the wall techniques, ( like controlled steaming ) Well= 10years ago I was a crazy radical. I call it wet= needling.   Drench the hammers in acetone and deep= needle while still damp, no problem getting the needles right= into the shoulders and on target.  The felt will release= quite a bit of tension.   I have been doing this for a= number of years on the swinging brick like hammers with good and= lasting results. Ideally hammers that hard should be= replaced with a quality hammer. Regards= Roger At 12:03 AM 8/24/02 -0700, you wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">>C2 not a= G2...sorry.  Actually, no flattening to speak of...some= grooving >but I thought the steaming might be worth a= try.  I have been doing some >deep needling on the= shoulders and get immediate relief but it doesn't= >last... What sort of deep needling?  If the= hammers are rock hard, try steam and then needling.  If= you like I'll give you a sure-fire deep-needling technique= for right up on the crown.....harrowing at first, but safe,= very effective, pretty permanent. Best, David= A > >David I > >David, if you are= really working on a G2, it's a lot more than two years= >old. Did you mean a= C2? > >    If the piano has really= been getting that kind of use, are the hammers >starting= to get a little flat up near the capo bar?  Steaming is= fine, but >if the hammers are through and through hard,= you'll get better results >from and little deep needling= down on the shoulders and sides of the >hammer. Don't= mean to butt in here,= though.</BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY></HTML>