<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 14, 2006, at 6:09 PM, Geoff Sykes wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="671315500-15092006"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">Not too long ago, on the list, I read that treating hard hammers with a little alcohol would help un-compact the felt. However, these are new hammers and are probably hard because of a hardening treatment. Today's question is: Would a small alcohol treatment help? If not, what would you suggest?</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></DIV><DIV>I would suggest steam; there is plenty of info in the archives about how to steam hammers; this, IMO, is the best, quickest,</DIV><DIV>most controllable, least messy way to soften rock-hard hammers.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>David Andersen</DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>