<!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 6.00.2719.2200" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Rob;</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I learned this 50/50 trick from the = PianoDisc factory training. Before the Silent Drive system came along, hammer = soaking was standard procedure for many pianos so that people wouldn't complain = about the system being too loud. Worked very well.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I was curious though- how long does the = solution need to dry before you can access the results? You don't want to be = playing the piano with wet hammers but I would like to hear it before I leave = someones home. In the past I have left them over night to be safe. Whatcha = think?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Bunch</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=rrg@unlv.edu href="mailto:rrg@unlv.edu">Robert = Goodale</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=foster29@earthlink.net href="mailto:foster29@earthlink.net">Dave Foster</A> ; <A title=pianotech@ptg.org = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, March 14, 2003 = 4:45 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: old Lowrey = console</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>These were pretty awful pianos from the get-go so = let's start with that.  As far as something that might actually make a difference have you tried water and alcohol?  In extreme = cases where the hammers are so hard they resemble tungsten-vanadium spikes you may = have to resort to wetting them down with 50/50 water and alcohol.  Such a = treatment is equal to about 150 needle pricks and a whole lot = faster.  Use a hypo-oiler and briefly soak the shoulders.  If need be you = can go back and hit the strike point as well.  The effects are immediate = and won't change after it dries; what you hear is what you get.  Be = careful not to over do it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Las Vegas, NV</FONT></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>List,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I just got back from tuning a = friends piano which is an old Lowrey Console (Charles Fredrick Stein).  This = was my third time tuning it in the past 12 months.  It holds the = tuning quite well, but the tone is a very ugly, schreeking, bright nasty sound = that I can hardly stand while I tune it.  She gives piano lessons every = week on it and I can't understand how it doesn't drive her nuts.  I have = tried before to shape, needle, and soften the hammers to even out the tone = a bit, but nothing I do seems to bring down the schreekiness.  And to = add on top of this, it sits on a hardwood floor which makes it echo = throughout the house.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is there an easy/short fix to this = problem shy of replacing the hammers that anyone here has found?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Foster</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>