<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><SPAN class=489031313-27042003><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>Is = the vise grip option really all that extreme? Seems like you're trying to break up = some rocks, there. I've never tried it, but what about that long thread that ran = here a few months ago about steaming hammers?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=489031313-27042003><FONT color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=489031313-27042003><FONT color=#0000ff = size=2>Alan Barnard</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=489031313-27042003><FONT color=#0000ff = size=2>Salem,  MO</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT = face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Dave Nereson<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 25, 2003 10:06 PM<BR><B>To:</B> pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> lacquer = softener<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV>What can one use to soften hammers that were lacquered at the factory?  At first I thought lacquer thinner, but wouldn't that = just evaporate and leave them still hard?  Tried a voicing needle and = broke three of them.  The voicing tool just will not go in.  = Tempted to go to the vise-grips extreme.  Surely the wonderful world of = chemistry offers some liquid I can drizzle on them.  ??  --David = Nereson, RPT</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>