<HTML>Voicers, stea= mers, needlers, what have you, I have recently done a small amount of work installing short lid props f= or a woman who has two pianos, a Steinway M, and a Mason A.  When I was= there, she complained about the tone of the M and H, saying that the last t= uner applied something to the hammers, and it hasn't been her sweet old pian= o since. I tried the instrument, and sure enough, it sounded like bricks hitting= tin cans.  I told her that if she was dissatisfied with it, she should= call the person who juiced it and have her voice it down.  She did, an= d lots of needling didn't do the trick. When I was there last, I'd mentioned that I heard steam voicing yielded = good results, but I wasn't sure how it would work on over-lacquered hammers.=  And I've never tried the technique myself, though many on this list h= ave sung its praises.   She is at wit's end, and wants her old M and H tone back.  I said I= 'd come and check the piano out, and look into the possibility of steaming t= he hammers.  I'm not certain how old the hammers are, but if something = doesn't help them out soon, replacement will be in the cards(probably not a = bad thing, except financially...:-(). Questions:  How well does this technique work on over-lacquered ham= mers?  Can someone describe the best way to go about it?  I've hea= rd damp-cloth/dry iron works well. Maybe I should try side-needling....:-) Thanks for any input.  I'll be scoping the piano out on Thursday. Dave Stahl </HTML>