Thanks to ALL and hopefully this may be a topic of interest to many
Fred in particular has long expertise in these matters and all suggestions from all are very helpful and appreciated. For those curious about what all the fuss is about, the hammers are layered as in the Pape design.
https://my.ptg.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=1201&MID=228408
https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2408139/1.html
are a couple of threads about the details of these hammers.
This is a photo of an 1869 Broadwood hammer and I've checked the 1859 instrument which is similar
I wasn't aware that Abel were able to replicate this or resurface the outer felt. A trade friend locally got my 1869 hammers refelted but refused to tell me who he had got to do it. :-(
This hammer construction is important for the tone of the instrument.
Upon refelting the 1869 instrument is soft but I'm waiting for it to be "played in". With the original hammers the tone was much harder and possibly
https://youtu.be/289iHaTM2f4?t=1850
is representative of the sound that we might expect from such hammers.
Very often I see people bad-mouthing instruments of the pre-modern era but they are incredibly important to pianism and the understanding of the music which was written for our instrument and lead to us being able to take forward transferable understanding both to the modern instrument and how it should be played.
Best wishes
David P
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David Pinnegar BSc ARCS
Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead, Sussex, UK
+44 1342 850594
"High Definition" Tuning
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-03-2024 20:24
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Recommendations for refelting 1850s Broadwood hammers in USA and familiarity with Broadwood action
And of course Ronson makes hammers for "square pianos" and probably can refelt the original hammers. In Germany, Abel offers refelting of early vintage pianos.
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Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-03-2024 20:20
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Recommendations for refelting 1850s Broadwood hammers in USA and familiarity with Broadwood action
Hi David, you might be interested in this article in today's Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/03/arts/ashburnham-frederick-historical-piano-collection/
A Guild member who comes to mind is Doug Laing, who has restored a number of older instruments. He can point you to other rebuilders of 1800s pianos. Anne Acker is another that comes to mind.
If it's being sent to the US keep in mind the stringent requirements enforced by Customs/the Fish & Wildlife Agency controlling the import of ivory.
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Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690