hammer softener

[Avery Todd]

Michael,

Below is a compilation of some of the posts I've saved on this subject. At 
the very bottom is a very
good post from Don Manino about voicing using needles.

What you do can also depend on why the hammer is bright, i.e., hot-pressed, 
well-used & flat on
the strike point, overly hardened with one solution or another, etc.

One other comment I'll pass on is one I heard in a voicing class once: 
"However you choose to
voice a hammer, always be prepared to undo what you've done." In other 
words, proceed
cautiously until you know for sure what you're doing and how it will affect 
any given set of
hammers.

Avery

At 07:58 PM 05/24/01 -0400, you wrote:
>I am interested in trying a hammer softening solution to mellow a set of 
>bright hammers. I have never tried this method of "voicing" hammers and 
>was curious as to what the pros and cons of this method might be. I would 
>also like to know whether to buy a premade solution or if there is an 
>acceptable homemade alternative.Also, how much solution should be applied 
>and what is the best method of application. Any suuggestions would be 
>appreciated.
>
>
> 
>Michael A. Crosby
>                                                                         Ntune
> 
>Atlanta, Ga.

The fabric softener solution is: 8 parts of 90% isopropyl alcohol to
one part Downey. You should expect good results, especially if the
hammers are Renners. Even the older Baldwin hammers respond well to
this mixture. If the hammers are really hard and you deem it
necessary to apply it more than once.......be prepared to re-shape
the hammers if the solution causes any deformities in the hammer
shape.

===================================================:
I've used 7 parts of Isopropyl alcohol and 1 part of Downey. I usually
put it on with an artist's brush, spread lightly over the striking
point. You really don't want it to go too deep or you lose the power
that you want in that area right under the strike point. I'll look at
the hammer on the side and hope the liquid doesn't soak in any deeper
than 1mm. After I've applied it, I dry the hammers with a hair dryer
and put it back in to see what I have. So far, I haven't had to do a
second application, but I'd rather do it so lightly that a second
application was necessary rather than ask, "Where did the sound go?"

======================================================
A good friend and RPT, uses a ratio of 16 parts Alcohol, 3 parts water, and 
1 part
Softener...preferably White, and fragrance-free. This method has been working
wonders for him & myself. I use it now ONLY on the shoulders, (both sides) 
about
1/2 eyedropper per side, and usually NOT on the lowest & highest octave unless
absolutely necessary. On rare occasions, I will put a very small drop on 
the strike
point, for real harsh sounding hammers.

==============================================================
A fellow tech tells me that he is NOT using snuggles any more, (for 
voicing) because
he strongly believes that it damages/ruins hammers in the long run. He now 
uses
denatured alcohol and water..ONLY. The water "puffs" up the felt, and 
according to him
it is every bit as effective and lasts just as long, however, the effects 
are not as immediate
as with Snuggles; takes about 20-30 minutes for the full effect. He tells 
me the ratio is 70%
denatured alcohol to 30% distilled water.

=================================================================
I have experimented with Isopropyl alcohol which you can get off the shelf 
at 70% alcohol,
30% water. It does soften the hammers but tends to leave the hammer sort of 
dead sounding.
I'm not sure that it is any more effective than steaming and you must let 
the hammer dry
thoroughly, preferably overnight. The jury is still out.

=================================================================
I simply use 70% Isopropyl alcohol straight out of the bottle, right on the 
striking surface.
I sometimes combine this with a little needling once the alcohol has broken 
up the
hardness enough that the needles can be inserted.

==================================================================
Steam will soften Yamaha hammers just fine. The problem is with over 
application at the tip of
the hammer. Just as with needling, avoiding the very crown is important.

When you have a set of hard pressed hammers which is not responding to 
needling, then you
need to change something about how you work on them. Although you may never 
stick the
needles in directly on the tip of the hammer, you should most definitely 
needle very close to the
tip of the hammer. Here is the basic process.

First, shape the hammer nicely, remove all string marks (guess how many 
times technicians
have told me that they couldn't get results needling hard hammers, but they 
didn't file the hammers
first!)

Next, needle the shoulders if needed. You can feel shoulders which need 
needling - they feel like
hard rubber with no give to them. If you can press 3 needles into the 
shoulders easily, don't bother
doing any more. Hard pressed hammers should be softened a lot in the 9:00 
and 3:00 areas, up to
maybe 10:00 ~ 2:00 or a little farther up. From 10:00 / 2:00 up to 11:30 / 
12:30 should be softened
some also, but not too deeply or aggressively. Save this for later. From 
11:30 ~ 12:30 (the top of the hammer), don't pre-needle at all. If you have 
needled the shoulders a lot, lightly re-shape / smooth
the hammers again before proceeding. Make sure the hammer tops are 
absolutely level by lifting
them to the strike point with a stick under the shanks, then put a 
straightedge on top and refine the
tips of the hammers.

After shaping and shoulder needling, level strings / fit hammers, then tune 
the piano.

For a warm sound in the center of the piano, use a single needle maybe 3 or 
4mm long and stitch
6 to 8 times in a line across the face of the hammer, just beyond the 
slight string marks created
during the tuning. This may cause a ridge to form across the hammer where 
you have softened
the felt. Lightly sand this ridge off with a paddle with fine paper (600 or 
higher) on it, or tap it down
smooth with the back side of the voicing tool.

Re-test the tone. If there is not enough change, try the same area slightly 
deeper, then if needed try closer to the tip (just on the ends of the 
slight string marks) only going 2mm deep or so. Once you
find what works on a particular hammer, do the same thing to some more 
sample hammers. When
you feel secure, do an entire section with the same process, then refine 
the differences between
notes (match them to your first target / test notes).

You will find that this needling has different effects on the front and 
back side. For bringing a harsh
piano down overall, I needle both sides. To reduce harshness and distortion 
on Forte playing, I concentrate on the front (player) side of the hammer. 
To create a very warm pianissimo sound I
come very close to the strike point on the back side of the hammer.

This type of hammer voicing is a high maintenance thing, but not nearly as 
much as if you try to
needle at the strike point. Shallow needling at the strike point gives a 
quick softening that brightens
right back up. Deeper needling just off the strike point creates a 
resilient spring under the tip of the hammer that does not brighten up as 
quickly.

One of the goals of this type of hammer is to give a wide tone color range 
to the pianist. A hammer
which is resilient and warm sounding when played soft but has bite, 
brightness and power when
played hard is a real gift to the pianist. The effect can be also achieved 
with soft hammers and
lacquer followed by needling on and around the strike point. By the way, I 
find that when soft
hammers are built up to have a tone range, they also brighten up with use. 
If you give the pianist a
good tone range, you will need to maintain the voicing a lot.

The easiest hammer to maintain is one which does not have much tonal range. 
If the relative
brightness does not change much with dynamic changes, the pianist is more 
limited in expressive
range, but the hammers will be more reliably voiced. If this is your goal, 
then heavy steaming, or
deep needling the tip, of the hard pressed hammers will work. Just do so 
with the knowledge that
you are sacrificing tonal range for the reliability.