<html><div style='background-color:'>On an older piano (nearing the end of life expectancy) I have had some success by covering the hammers with leather. Particularly in the treble where it is pretty much wood on string.  The leather will at least muffle the harshness of that sound and you will probably even be able to hear a pitch.  It is an easy repair and not particularly expensive.  The piano will at least sound better and the repair will probably outlast the piano. Good Luck!   Dick Day Marshall MI <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #a0c6e5 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <HR color=#a0c6e5 SIZE=1> From: Tvak@aol.com Reply-To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: worn-to-the-wood hammers Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 08:43:40 EDT List When hammer felt is worn through to the wood, what can be done, short of replacing the hammers with new ones, to restore some semblance of tone quality?   I seem to remember a thread years ago on this...covering the hammers with leather of some sort.  Didn't some older square grands have leather covered hammers?  What type of leather? In this case, the situation geos beyond 'tone quality';  the hammers in octave 7, being shorter by virtue of there being less felt at the strike point, are overstriking and hitting the capo, resulting in practically no sound whatsoever.  I think covering them with the proper material would at least allow the hammers to hit the strings.  This is an old Kimball owned by a family on a budget, and not a candidate for replacing the set of hammers. Thanks in advance for your advice, Tom Sivak Chicago </BLOCKQUOTE></div></html>