To all:
For the second time in 45 years, I am replacing a new set of hammers because of bad felt. the problem is that the top layers of felt are extremely soft, while the inner layers are of normal density for this hammer maker. I won't name the maker, as he is very good and reliable, and has replaced the bad set free of charge. And I believe that the issue lies with his felt supplier rather than his handling in the making of the set.
None of the usual heroic measures were able to bring this set to an acceptable level. No amount of doping. needling, and/or filing got them close. I knew all that pretty early on but still had to go through the motions.
Since the set has no further use, I split the tails in one or two places, and the cracking traveled up to and past the glue joint of the shank to the molding. This has allowed me to remove the shank from the molding with relative ease using a hammer extractor..
Most separated pretty cleanly, with little RX Gel residue left on the shank. I want to clean up the rest, doing minimal damage to the shank interface, whether by chemical or mechanical means.
Does anyone have any suggestions as the best means of cleaning the shanks in a minimally invasive manner?
Thanks in advance to anything you have to offer.
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William Truitt
Bridgewater NH
603-744-2277
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