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Are there any outfits in the United States that can recover a set of piano hammers with new felt? I have a customer with a pre-World War II Sohmer & Co. spinet that she adores but it is in need of a new set of hammers. The original hammers are narrow and since the spacing is rather tight in some areas in this piano, it might be a good idea to preserve the original hammer moldings and recover them with new felt.

It is not necessary to recover the hammers. You can just shave standard width ones, which may have been what was done originally. I do not think anyone does recovering in the US any longer.

Maybe ask Renner for a price to custom make a set the size you need?

Ronsen Piano Hammer Co in Boiceville NY can make hammers that match the originals quite easily. They have felt that is very similar to the Sohmer type and can set up to cut the hammers to the original width with not to much difficulty. No need to buy a "universal" stock set and then sand or plane the sides this way. I do not get any compensation for mentioning Ronsen. I have installed 300 or more sets in my work.

I'll second that. I have no vested interest in their operaton either, beyond being a happy customer.

They'll make exactly what you need, out of great quality materials, and deliver it at a quite reasonable price. And they're quite pleasant to deal with, too.

Ed, what do think of Isaac hammers?

I'll third it. I've enjoyed working with Ronsen Hammers. I have another project coming down the pike for new hammers on a Korean made instrument with hard hot pressed hammers. I'm more than a little anxious to see what effect the change will make.

Isaac hammers seem similar to Ronsen using less or no heat in the pressing. I would suspect the differences are not that great. I've not been too fond of Renner and the work they often take.