Pianotech

Mary, 

This piano wouldn't happen to be in the gymnasium area would it? Such as a storage room off to the side and wheeled out when needed? Just an idea...

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

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Peter Grey
Stratham NH
(603) 686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 10:12
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I tuned a 50-year-old Kawai piano at a high school and could see chalky dust on the cast iron plate. What causes the hammers to shed like this. I haven't seen this quite this bad before and I've tuned about 400 pianos so far. Thank you for any words of wisdom you can share! 

The dust appears to be hammer felt, from 50 years of vigorous wear against the strings. The width of some of the hammer grooves suggests the hammer flanges pinning is somewhat loose, adding to the wear. It's possible a previous technician had used a strip of sandpaper to file the felt in situ, without cleaning up after himself. If the damper felt surface had hardened and become noisy, sandpaper might have used as a quick way to reduce tangs and buzzes. Thus, all that fuzzy dust.
Some of those hammers are worn so deep they ought to be replaced, but removing the action, reshaping the hammers to some extent, repinning hammer flanges as necessary, (and thoroughly vacuuming out the piano) may make tuning and playing the instrument more pleasant for a few more years.

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Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 10:12
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I tuned a 50-year-old Kawai piano at a high school and could see chalky dust on the cast iron plate. What causes the hammers to shed like this. I haven't seen this quite this bad before and I've tuned about 400 pianos so far. Thank you for any words of wisdom you can share! 

I have never seen that type of thing on a plate or all over the strings. It almost looks like teflon powder or talc. On the other hand it looks like the white from mildew and mold. Depending on where it is stored when not in use like in a janitors closet maybe its something that was in the air like chaulk used by athletes.. I have heard of baby powder and talc used to whiten felt. Was there a cloud kicked up when notes where played ???? You should try to get a positive id on the material and be careful how it is cleaned up meaning a respirator, gloves, eye protection and a hepa vac. I had to report a grand piano to the school district for cleanup by their environmental response team. The keysticks and keybed had a white mold/mildew accumulation. It turned out the piano was backstage/sidestage where it was dark and there was a drain problem with the air conditioner . The deep string cuts suggest it sees heavy use and if the hammers did get filed/shaped it was not done properly and not cleaned up. Shaping should not produce fine dust like drywall sanding....

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James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 14:28
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Shedding hammers?

The dust appears to be hammer felt, from 50 years of vigorous wear against the strings. The width of some of the hammer grooves suggests the hammer flanges pinning is somewhat loose, adding to the wear. It's possible a previous technician had used a strip of sandpaper to file the felt in situ, without cleaning up after himself. If the damper felt surface had hardened and become noisy, sandpaper might have used as a quick way to reduce tangs and buzzes. Thus, all that fuzzy dust.
Some of those hammers are worn so deep they ought to be replaced, but removing the action, reshaping the hammers to some extent, repinning hammer flanges as necessary, (and thoroughly vacuuming out the piano) may make tuning and playing the instrument more pleasant for a few more years.

------------------------------
Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 10:12
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I tuned a 50-year-old Kawai piano at a high school and could see chalky dust on the cast iron plate. What causes the hammers to shed like this. I haven't seen this quite this bad before and I've tuned about 400 pianos so far. Thank you for any words of wisdom you can share! 

I frequently see that on some older Kawai pianos. It's from the hammers.

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John Formsma
New Albany MS

"Sneak up on optimal."
--Ron Nossaman
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 22:07
From: James Kelly
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I have never seen that type of thing on a plate or all over the strings. It almost looks like teflon powder or talc. On the other hand it looks like the white from mildew and mold. Depending on where it is stored when not in use like in a janitors closet maybe its something that was in the air like chaulk used by athletes.. I have heard of baby powder and talc used to whiten felt. Was there a cloud kicked up when notes where played ???? You should try to get a positive id on the material and be careful how it is cleaned up meaning a respirator, gloves, eye protection and a hepa vac. I had to report a grand piano to the school district for cleanup by their environmental response team. The keysticks and keybed had a white mold/mildew accumulation. It turned out the piano was backstage/sidestage where it was dark and there was a drain problem with the air conditioner . The deep string cuts suggest it sees heavy use and if the hammers did get filed/shaped it was not done properly and not cleaned up. Shaping should not produce fine dust like drywall sanding....

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 14:28
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Shedding hammers?

The dust appears to be hammer felt, from 50 years of vigorous wear against the strings. The width of some of the hammer grooves suggests the hammer flanges pinning is somewhat loose, adding to the wear. It's possible a previous technician had used a strip of sandpaper to file the felt in situ, without cleaning up after himself. If the damper felt surface had hardened and become noisy, sandpaper might have used as a quick way to reduce tangs and buzzes. Thus, all that fuzzy dust.
Some of those hammers are worn so deep they ought to be replaced, but removing the action, reshaping the hammers to some extent, repinning hammer flanges as necessary, (and thoroughly vacuuming out the piano) may make tuning and playing the instrument more pleasant for a few more years.

------------------------------
Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 10:12
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I tuned a 50-year-old Kawai piano at a high school and could see chalky dust on the cast iron plate. What causes the hammers to shed like this. I haven't seen this quite this bad before and I've tuned about 400 pianos so far. Thank you for any words of wisdom you can share! 

I suspect very soft hammers. You can tell the notes that are played more by the length of the string cuts as evidenced by the varying lengths of clear spaces on the unisons.
The piano needs new hammers.

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Regards,

Jon Page
mailto:jonpage@comcast.net
http://www.pianocapecod.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2022 10:12
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Shedding hammers?

I tuned a 50-year-old Kawai piano at a high school and could see chalky dust on the cast iron plate. What causes the hammers to shed like this. I haven't seen this quite this bad before and I've tuned about 400 pianos so far. Thank you for any words of wisdom you can share!