Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Replacing pinao hammer question .

I have grand piano hammers that are used, but appear to be in good condition, (There is no wearing and they don’t appear treated .)

I haven’t measured the bore diameter yet, but by eyeing them they appear to have a smaller bore length than my original in the piano.
My question is this.
If I were to use the smaller bore length piano hammers by replacing the original hammer heads with the smaller bore length-ed , would it make a significant difference in the strike /sound etc?
… would it work ?

Everything makes a difference.
I have reused a used set but I will remove the old shanks, plug the holes with appropriate dowel, and trim flush and then re-drill for proper fit on the shanks and to the piano.
Bore distance and angles are critical.
It's not an easy job. Hammers must have necessary value to justify.
Also, you need to consider the shape of the hammer tails for checking purposes.
You may fine it better to just buy new set.
If you are intent on trying, do a couple samples first.

None of your post makes any sense to me. Have you had the hammers replaced and do you have the original hammers? If so, you should discuss this with whoever replaced the hammers.

Thanks for the info,
I 'm think the tail length is shorter slighly, but not much when placed side by side, exactly at the bore, for comparison;
But -I am going to try a couple samples in each section, (I have 3 )- before buying new .
The existing original ones are pretty shot and have been treated - hardened, and voicing doesn't seem to help much .

If you have no experience replacing hammers-I can with almost 100% certainty say that you will not be able to produce a quality of work that results in a great sounding and playing piano if you undertake this endeavor.

There are so many things to evaluate and make decisions on beyond just the simple dimensions.

Besides, how do you know the present hammers cannot be tone-regulated for good results?

I cannot agree with Ed McMorrow any more. Not only is replacing a set of hammers a very difficult skill to master, but there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye.

But that is exactly what Ed McMorrow *is* cautioning, no?

I think that Ed Hall is saying is that it is impossible for him to believe in Ed McMurrow's advice any more strongly than he does, because the advice is so clear and correct -- not that he disagrees with Ed M.--

And I agree with Ed M. also! Imagine my surprise in piano-tech school when everything inside the piano turned out to have an effect on everything else!

I guess the OP, needs to replace hammers a thousand times, before success, no?

~HW

Making and following a course of study to acquire the skill set needed to do hammer replacement is what I would suggest if one wants to do this job. And that is why the job is difficult to learn. You have to know something about how hammers make tone and touch. Very few people have this knowledge.

Being I have the original hammers (-and they have been treated with lacquer,) one other question.
How would I attempt a acetone bathe to remove the lacquer from the hammers?
Any info helpful.

Didn't you say in your original post that the hammers had not been treated?

And why would technicians give you any advice on this point when you have not seemed to grasp the major point technicians have been making, that this project is ill-advised on the face of it and, in addition, is in untrained hands?

From a non-tech point of view:

I just had all my hammers replaced in my vintage upright, and my tech was kind enough to email me pictures of the work he was doing in his shop... and I witnessed the work he did on the day he returned the hammers.

THIS IS AN ART... DO NOT DO YOURSELF.

There are just some things in life for which you need someone with the training, experience and fine-tuned skills. This is one of them.

No, that is not what I wrote,

Maybe read post 1 and 3 in sequence,
"I have grand piano hammers that are used, but appear to be in good condition, (There is no wearing and they don’t appear treated .)
I haven’t measured the bore diameter yet, but by eyeing them they appear to have a smaller bore length than my original in the piano.
My question is this.
If I were to use the smaller bore length piano hammers by replacing the original hammer heads with the smaller bore length-ed , would it make a significant difference in the strike /sound etc?
… would it work ?
......
Thanks for the info,
I 'm think the tail length is shorter slighly, but not much when placed side by side, exactly at the bore, for comparison;
But -I am going to try a couple samples in each section, (I have 3 )- before buying new .
The existing original ones are pretty shot and have been treated - hardened, and voicing doesn't seem to help much .
"

You'll have to answer the "why would....." yourself.

But the reason I'd try is ,the piano is my own, the sound is bad now, and it's something worth trying to do in my opinion, with limited funds on my own.

Also there is one point not being made here, and that is .
If I try and fail (meaning the piano sounds the same or worse after a bathing or attempt at replacing the hammers myself- then I am at the point of where I'd pay someone else-not much different than what some have suggested for the start.
If it works ...well I'll become a tech. LOL

Elementary logic....Dr. Watson

Thank you for your clarification. You are right, I had confused the two sets of hammers.

Stepping away quietly now --

Your assuming a tech will be willing to clean up after you and create a musical Insturment - I would not myself but that's just me, I don't follow DIY ers.
If you know what type of hardener is in your hammers and know that acetone is the correct solvent all I can suggest is to do a couple of samples in each section and see what result you get.
You should have an idea where in the hammer the hardener is, shoulder, strike point ???
Hopefully you have an idea of what you want musically.
i have only done something slightly similar once or twice so I can't get more specific than that

One thing to consider is it's often more costly to undue the damage that someone else has done than had it been done correctly the first time. And this is especially true when it comes to hammer replacement work that someone has botched.

-Big thanks for the advice; all of the responses are professional and prudent.
They made me “think”, which is a good “thingy” to do, rather than start“impulse” projects. .
I am going to “sit on this” for a while, or until the project is more affordable, or with more “research.”
PS: I use a PX 100 in the meantime that I am satisfied with, for now. I wanted a more authentic sound experience but digital will suffice now . Nothing beats Real.