<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV class=RTE> <P>Hi!</P> <P>My first post here! I've been reading this forum for about six months now, and I find it to be an immensely rich source of information about the inner workings of the piano! So, my gratitude to all of you for your willingness to share your knowledge, past and present! I'm not a trained technician, I'm a pianist giving concerts and teaching, and very curious to get to know my instrument better! I hope you have some patience for what I'm eager to know... </P> <P>Here are some questions about a Steinway O, ca 1964, Hamburg. Exactly how important is the shape of the hammers? I know from pictures, descriptions and observing new/well maintained Steinways how they are filed. On my particular O I presume it's still the original hammers. They are very worn by now, and my concern is that the shoulders are much thicker than the crown. Is it appropriate then to file the shoulders, even if it means taking off 1-2mm on each side, to retain the proper shape? Is the shape very important in how the hammer reacts to the impact when hitting the strings? </P> <P>Also, when is it absolutely necessary to put in new hammers? They still sound quite nice, but I suspect they have lost too much weight due to filings over the years. Is this a valid interpretation of how the repetitionlever spring is behaving? When I slacken it so that the hammer gently rises, then it gets to sloppy in returning the jack; vice versa when the jack works fine, the hammer jumps up really agressively! I can't seem to get both to behave well at the same time.<BR></P> <P>Thanks! Danilo Perusina</P> <DIV></DIV><FONT color=#000000></DIV> <DIV></DIV></FONT></div><br clear=all><hr>Är du spelberoende? <a href="http://g.msn.com/8HMASVSE/2737??PS=47575" target="_top">Testa här</a> </html>