<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16587" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hmm.  One time I worked on a piano where someone had used fingernail polish on the hammers.  They were very shiny!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=fandrich@pianobuilders.com href="mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com">Delwin D Fandrich</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 11, 2008 6:01 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: custom hammers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>A tuner that used to work for me in Portland, Oregon brought it in one evening. I was having dinner when he came to the door saying something like, "Del, you have to come down and look at this. You won't believe it if I just tell you about it." He was right. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>The action had been "rebuilt" someplace near Pittsburgh, PA. Only the hammers through the center half (or so) had been replaced because "since few people play those notes out at the ends the supply companies don't make them anymore." The black stuff didn't go on until sometime after the hammers -- that was how they were "voiced." I never did figure out what it was. Glassy hard, though. I was especially intrigued by the hammershank repair. Nice glue, that. I ended up installing a whole new action.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>None of this did my dinner much good.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=750175223-11012008> <P><FONT size=2>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant<BR>620 South Tower Avenue<BR>Centralia, Washington 98531  USA<BR>Phone  360.736-7563<BR><<A href="mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com">mailto:fandrich@pianobuilders.com</A>> </FONT></P></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>