<HTML><HEAD> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2715.400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=2>I wouldn't say that I pound, but I use firm blows and firmer as I go up the scale.  I think it generally does help with stability.  I think that your hammer snapped because of some defect in the moulding.  Did it break near where the staple goes through.?  Anyway, I don't think you are in danger of breaking anything by tuning with firm blow, generally, unless there is already some inherent weakness.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size=2> <DIV>David Love</DIV> <DIV><A href="mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net">davidlovepianos@earthlink.net</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no href="mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no">Richard Brekne</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 3/20/2003 8:13:14 AM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: A first/broken molding</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2>  <P>Piannaman@aol.com wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE="CITE"><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=-1>List,</FONT></FONT> <P><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=-1>After tuning thousandss of pianos over the last couple of decades, I had an experience yesterday that was a first for me.  It was a brand new upright piano, a brand new model manufactured in the southeastern US. I was tuning the in the mid-treble when the D-66 hammer snapped.  No, not the shank.  The hammer snapped right at the beginning of the felt where it tapers onto the molding.</FONT></FONT> <P><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=-1>I admit to pounding fairly hard when I tune, and perhaps my pending divorce had something to do with the ferocity of the blow(:-), but this was a new one on me.  Anyone else ever seen this?</FONT></FONT> <P><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=-1>Dave Stahl</FONT></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>Only from piano pounders :) <P>I dont pound, never have, never will. My tunings are solid as the proverbial rock and that has as long as I remember been my strongest asset tuningwise. Pounding simply is not neccessary. <P>Nope.... never had a hammer snap on me.  Rarely, a shank will snap. And thats always on an old piano that has rather brittleized parts. <P>Yours is probably a fluke anyways tho. A strange place to snap. <BR>  <P>Cheers <BR>RicB <BR>  <P>-- <BR>Richard Brekne <BR>RPT, N.P.T.F. <BR>UiB, Bergen, Norway <BR><A href="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A> <BR><A href="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A> <BR>  </FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>