<!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 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>If you mean that the staple is important in high = humidity areas to ensure the hammer doesn't come apart, I'm not sure I = agree.  My experience is that if the glue joint fails, no staple will hold it together.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>As far as the hammer experiencing changes in = tension, I must admit that living in an environment with fairly constant humidity year = round (and a bit on the high side), I've never thought about tension in the = hammer changing from season to season and with it the tone.  On the = surface it makes sense.  I wonder though whether the change is enough to = create a real perceptible difference, or if it does, how you would separate that = change from tonal changes that might occur as a result of changes in the crown = of the board.  Difficult to tease out all the variables.  = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The other question, however, still remains.  = How important is the staple for creating tension in the lower part of the hammer.  The proponents of the Renner blue evidently feel that = it is unimportant.  I know from listening to Brooks and the Abel = clan that they feel it is a crucial part of the hammer.   Isaac O's = remarks suggest that the stapled Renner is a different animal than the Renner = blue in spite of the similarities in felt type.  I have to say that my = experience suggests that the Renner blue has a high degree of tension in the felt = which is responsive to needling.   The Renner hammer used for H. = Steinway is also highly tensioned, and much harder at the outset.  My = experience tells me that the needling requirements to get the H. Steinway hammer to = open up are just that much greater.  But when all is said and done, is what = you have left all that much different?  I haven't really done a side by = side comparison.  Maybe somebody out there has.  I'd be interested = to hear what they think. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>One interesting sidebar to this is that I have found = out the hard way that you need to be careful when (if) preneedling the Abel hammer.  It is very easy to release a tremendous amount of = tension into the crown of the hammer which can make the hammer very bright and = difficult to work with.   Whereas I almost always preneedle Renner = hammers feeling for some give in the shoulders with a firm squeeze as I go, I = find that a slower approach is more advisable with Abel hammers.  = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>David Love</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> ----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=caute@optusnet.com.au = href="mailto:caute@optusnet.com.au">Tony Caught</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> September 21, 2002 7:43 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: hammer felt = (Renner Blues)</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Dave,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You wrote</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The importance of the staple is somewhat controversial.  There are those who argue that it adds tension to = the lower part of the hammer and those who say it doesn't make any difference.  The Renner blue is, of course, without a = staple.   </FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Not having a staple would mean that you cannot use this = hammer in high humidity conditions. However,</DIV> <DIV>As the hammer absorbs moisture from the air, the tension created = varies greatly as does the tone. Possibly being not stapled would allow this = increase of tension to spread more evenly over the hammer and not be restricted = by the staple.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tony Caught<BR><A = href="mailto:caute@optusnet.com.au">caute@optusnet.com.au</A><BR></DIV>= <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><FONT size=2></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>