brightening a Yamaha

[James Beinke]

Just read the thread re brightening Yamaha hammers.

Installed a set of Steinway hammers on a Model S in a fairly small  
apartment in Naples, FL, across the street from the Gulf. Used  
lacquer, but after 6 months the client asked for more brilliance.  
Since I also service a larger Steinway at the client's lake home in  
Michigan, I knew the sound she hoped to achieve.

The following treatment took three days, since the client lived  
almost 100 miles away and I used the job as an excuse to go camping  
in the Naples area.

Unwilling to dope her hammers with more lacquer, and after having  
read a great deal about alternatives, this time I used a solution of  
1 tablespoon of ground clear plexiglass in 8 oz of acetone. I used a  
cheap metal-handled brush used for pasting or soldering. I cut the  
bristles halfway back.

I applied one brush full on the striking point of each hammer (gasp!)  
The solution dries very quickly and can be tested within the hour.  
The beauty of the treatment is that the plexiglass doesn't go so  
deeply into the felt. If the hammer is too bright, simply sand the  
surface.

I wasn't sure what to expect, being a "traditionalist", but I was  
completely surprised and pleased. The treatment seems much more  
exact. The very first run-through brought more brilliance without any  
harshness. Encouraged, I kept going. It took three treatments, with  
the second treatment primarily on the striking point of the top three  
octaves, and on both shoulders in the mid-section and down.

The last treatment was a careful gradation from C6 down.

Tone is subjective. I think one needs to have an inner ear, an inner  
idea of what constitutes a beautiful tone. What thrilled me about  
this particular endeavor is that the whole piano, especially the  
treble, began to sing and never sounded harsh, even at fortissimo.  
Very little needling had to be done, much to my surprise.

As an aside: Some years ago, in a telephone call to Steinway's chief  
technician regarding voicing new hammer on a concert grand, I learned  
that special care in voicing needs to be taken at the points on both  
sides of the stringing "gaps" in the treble bridge under the plate  
girders.

James Beinke
72 years old, still learning