<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1> Any set of hammers that needs pliers for voicing ought to be replaced.    <div> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com </div> -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Erwinspiano@aol.com Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 6:42 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: kneading hammers   <div> <div>   Hi Rupert </div> <div>   I have done my share of this in the past but never on a real quality set of hammer.  It is in my Opinion, that this is a technique reserved for poorly made/ or petrified felt type hammers.  I consider it the last final act of voicing desperation.  Also on some pianos it makes a change for the better in a short amount of time & my ears don't hurt so much. i.e. spinets, over heated & shrunken hammers or over juiced.  The muted sound you mention comes from using pliers too far up on the hammer which cups the crown rendering the strike surface un level. </div> <div>   It also may be just the  pre voicing on some hammers need so that one can actually finish up & refine the job with some needling.  All hammer voicing manipulations are redistributing the densities of the hammer thereby by moving the felt fibers thus making them more ...or less....linear in there ability to produce tonal spectrum. </div> <div>   Dale </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> My original query cited Howe's book, which turns out to be the Revised 3rd edition of 1963 (not 1948 when it was first published - sorry about that). On p.61 he says:    "Another method of softening the hammers has proved    satisfactory: Take a pair of gas-pliers and squeeze    the felt in both directions alternately: in other    words, knead it with the pliers". So far this idea of alternate directions has not been mentioned by contributors. ( The idea that the tone can also be strengthened is intriguing me (see below).  Seeing most contributors have said avoid squeezing the tip, it would seem that they would have strengthened the tone rather than mellow it by squeezing elsewhere.  Most contributors have said squeezing is like a lot of needling - which always softens does it not? ) I am now very interested in what exactly happens to the fibers of felt when it is needled / squeezed. I did do a gentle lateral pliers squeezing on my old Bluthner upright, and have done no permanent damage: in fact, after a few weeks playing it sounds much better to me, although it was a bit muffled immediately afterwards.  Further experiments will be confined to my wife's spinnette! Rupert </blockquote> </div> <div>   </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </div> See what's free at <a href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank" title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503">AOL.com</a>. </div> </div> </body> </html>