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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom asked: "<FONT face="Times New =
Roman"
size=3>When hammer felt is worn through to the wood, what can be done, =
short of
<BR>replacing the hammers with new ones, to restore some semblance of =
tone
quality? <BR>I seem to remember a thread years ago on
this...covering the hammers with <BR>leather of some sort. =
Didn't
some older square grands have leather covered <BR>hammers? =
What type
of leather?<BR><BR>In this case, the situation goes beyond 'tone
quality'; the hammers in <BR>octave 7, being shorter by =
virtue of
there being less felt at the strike point, <BR>are overstriking and =
hitting the
capo, resulting in practically no sound <BR>whatsoever. I =
think
covering them with the proper material would at least allow the =
<BR>hammers to
hit the strings. This is an old Kimball owned by a family on =
a
<BR>budget, and not a candidate for replacing the set of hammers. =
<BR><BR>Thanks
in advance for your advice,"</FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial =
size=2><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>
<DIV><BR>Tom,</DIV>
<DIV>As a great percentage of my clients are much like what you =
describe, I've
had good success with "Buckskinning" the hammers in the Upper Treble. =
Although
the sound is a bit subdued, it is usually adequate and the customers =
appreciate
your attempts at making "their baby" last a few more years before Major
work is needed.</DIV>
<DIV>The way I do it, (which I've gleaned from doing Square Grands =
all
these years.), is to "shape" the hammer felt so that the hammer is very =
pointed,
but still has "some" felt left on the sides. Cut Real =
Buckskin into
strips of the appropriate width. Then, measure how long each strip needs =
to be
for each individual hammer, (keep them in order). Oh, Test the Buckskin =
to see
which way it wants to stretch uniformly. The process requires Stretching =
of the
Buckskin, so measure a bit on the short side. The area that gets the Hot =
Hide Glue is just below the shoulder. Glue the strip on the front =
shoulder
first and allow to set up, (usually 3-4 hours). Then, Stretch the =
Buckskin over
the strike point and down to the other shoulder. Hold the strip in =
place,
(hand/fingers just above the shoulder) and apply Hot Hide Glue to =
the area
just below that shoulder. Put a spring clamp on, to hold it "in =
tension",
and allow to set up. </DIV>
<DIV>If you've done it right, there will be very little trimming to =
be
done. I do like to trim the "glued" area in a bevel that tapers to the =
surface
of the hammer felt. This is much easier to do, than to explain. I =
would
suggest trying a few "samples" on olde reject hammers to get the =
"feel" of
how this is done.</DIV>
<DIV>The Buckskin should be flexible and about the thickness of Upright
Backcatch leather. Go thinner as you get closer to note 88. =
Although the
sound is somewhat subdued, compared to it's neighbors, it is an =
acceptable
sound. Do Not Try To Voice!!! DAMHIK!!<G></DIV>
<DIV>BTW, the reason so many Square Grands had leather, was NOT because =
the
hammers were worn out. Back in those days, Musicians hated the =
Bright
Clangy sound of the modern piano, (in the mid/upper treble =
area). I
choose to think that most people, of that past era, had less noise to =
contend
with and had less hearing loss. Also, they were more into the soft
subtleties of music, than our era(s) are. I think it had to do with the =
basic
"ease of living", (w/o as much stress), that we don't truly have. At =
least,
that's my take on that phenomenon.<G> </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<BR>Captain, Tool
Police<BR>Squares R I</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>