<HTML>In a message dated 7/17/2002 3:51:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time, davidlovepianos@earthlink.net writes:            David Love writes <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">It seems that what many of us are looking for is a hammer which is somewhat more dense than an NY Steinway hammer and somewhat less dense than a Renner or Abel hammer.  One interesting experiment might be to take an NY Steinway hammer, infuse it with an alcohol and water solution and throw it into the drier for an hour to see if that doesn't brighten it up.  I, for one, would be happy to come up with a way to get a NYS style hammer more dense without lacquer.  Lacquer is tricky and unforgiving in some ways.      David two more thoughts at least</BLOCKQUOTE>         I think the water and drier thing wouldn't work> think the hammer would just puff and stay that way.           You no I'm no coward when it comes to desecrating hammers. I'd like to buy a set <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">of Abel's (or renners for that matter) and treat them with an appropriate dose of alcohol and water to loosen up the felt to the point that I could then build it back up with a solution and see what happens.    That soft felt Steinway uses when pressed right has a pop, power and sustain like  no other when its pressed with more density but not too much. Ari Isaac made me some sets of it once when I was selling them. Best hammers ever. Incredible wear factors. They were closer to what your describing</BLOCKQUOTE>     . Ray at Ronsen is making some for me now if he has enough decent material.           Dale Erwin </HTML>