<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">   "Kevin E. Ramsey" wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> And I agree that the first thing you should try to do on ANY hammer that needs brightening is to file it first. Once you get below the "fluff" you will find that it's as bright, if not brighter than you need. The only hammers that I would consider adding chemicals to are Steinway hammers, or else hammers where some block-head has killed them by over-needling.</blockquote> Yep... and it usually doesn't take much to get down to brighter harder felt as it were. Finishing off with 800 paper yields a nice surface, fibers down tight. Running an iron over the surfaces when your done can increase brilliancy as well. <blockquote TYPE=CITE> By the way, when I sand hammers, I don't use a paddle. I use thin strips which I have cut to be just wider than the hammers. It works out easier that way. My last pass is with 800 grit, with the hammers blocked up to the let-off position and leveled. You have to blow the hammers out when you're done, but when do you not have to do that?    Kevin.</blockquote> Grin.. when you've vacuumed instead ??   -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A> <A HREF="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A> <A HREF="http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html">http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html</A>   </body> </html>