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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
13
1
TRADE TECHNICIANS DISCUSS PIANO HAMMERS AND FELTS
(Continued from page 11)
the felt to any desired pressure at any point mer maker. Up to date the function of the
hammer has not been determined. Going back
eliminate the human touch?"
Mr. Vilim: "I don't believe it could be done; to-1869 I find it stated that hammers are made
softer in the bass than in the treble and that no
there is too much life in the felt."
Mr. Arnold: "If the felt in this case came to doubt the manufacturer had some good reason
the hammer maker registering the amount of for it or he wouldn't have done it. That seems
resistence, wouldn't that eliminate all the human to be about the sum total of the application
of scientific principles up to that time. We
equation?"
Mr. Vilim: "I don't think it would. We have know and have demonstrated that the time the
tried many plans. Some felts need more pres- hammer contacts the wire the greater number of
sure than others. Every piece has a different partial tones are silenced. The hammer resting
against the wire after having struck, damps the
life."
Mr. Morton: "Is that life apparent to the partials, whose crests are at and near the ham-
mer line. That means if you want a crispness
feel of the man at the screw?"
Mr. Vilim: "The man who works the press of tone, that crispness—I cannot find a .better
knows when it requires more or less. He can word—which comes from the presence or the
tell by the way the felt comes down and up. third and sixth partials, your hammer must re-
Some pieces don't come up even when taken bound quickly from the wire. If you mute those
partials, you will eliminate that crispness of
from the same piece."
At this point there, was considerable dis- tone. You find that tone more generally in a
cussing regarding the mechanical problems of concert grand than in any other instrument. It
is easier for you to produce it in a nine-foot
hammer making, in securing uniformity.
S. S- Widney stated that the manufacturer grand than in any other instrument, for in that
generally determined upon the sort of hammers grand you use the best hammer you c?.n get—a
he wanted by having a sample set made, and hammer of great resilience—a hammer which
ordering that particular hammer duplicated if sat- leaves the wire quicker than does a poor ham-
isfactory. In discussing the manufacturer's part mer. The points developed here to-night, when
Mr. Vilim said: "I suggest to all piano manu- applied, show why a hammer contacts the wire
facturers that they use a different boring for the after striking it. A poor hammer needled in an
different weight hammers. A fourteen-pound attempt to make it resilient, does not leave the
hammer should have a different striking dis- wire as quickly as one of live fibre felt. You
tance than a twelve-pound hammer. The boring can produce a better tone from a piano with
should vary one-sixteenth inch or one-eighth poor wire and a good hammer than you can
inch. The piano manufacturer gets different with the best wire made and a poor hammer. I
.striking distances and wonders where the trou- have demonstrated it frequently. This accounts,
ble lies. Some use the same boring on hammers in a measure, for the interest of our company
of different weights. A fourteen-pound ham- in the felt industry. The 'buck' has been passed
mer should have a boring of two and one-half to the wire maker and he is now passing it
inches in the treble, where a nine-pound hammer back. If we can find a means—and I am as-
sured that a response may be had from the felt
should have two and one-quarter inches."
As to the process of over felting Mr. Vilim maker through the hammer maker—to produce
said: "After the top sheet is glued on and a hammer of residual resilience, an elasticity
taken out of the press, it goes to the hammer that is in the hammer and not imitated by the
trimmer. He evens up all the defects of the needling of a tone regulator, the tone of the
felt. If it is a little bit one-sided he gives it the piano will be improved and from that point
proper shape. It then goes to the sandpaper tonal progress may ensue. In order to progress
man. He uses sandpaper from coarse down to tonally, we must establish everything up to the
0000. Some makers use coarse sandpaper only present. That hammer now stands in the way.
and dress it up with hot cauls. When the ham- I ask you to make your individual experi-
mer is cut the felt pulls out on the bottom side. ments. One is to make a single section action,
We place it in a cold press which puts it back adjust your wire and use a hammer until it
shows signs of wear. Half a dozen will give
in place."
valuable data. This is the mechanical side. For
Mr. Vilim stated that the only way hammer the tonal side, you can try various hammers on
makers test felt is by putting it into molds to the same piano. It is well worth while. A
determine if the felt has any life or not. If it point will thus be reached where the piano man-
comes up promptly it has life, if it goes to the ufacturer may specify accurately to the hammer
bottom of the mold it is dead. "Reinforcement maker, who in turn may specify to the felt
is only a talking point" he declared, "I really maker. The hammer issue will be closed and
think it injures the hammer." He said that the then we can go on to further refinement.
piano was reinforced by celluloid cement or
shellac and French grey and painted on the
"In the matter of striking point and the area
outside after the hammer was finished. He also of felt contacting the wire, those points now
stated that in his opinion bleaching felt served may be treated scientifically. Given a flat sur-
to injure it.
face, or a round surface which becomes Hat,
Mr. Vilim then exhibited and described in de- a greater area of hammer is presented to the
tail a set of grand hammers made from first wire than one firmly rounded. More crests of
quality Weickert; Weickert's No. 1 and No. 2 segmental vibration are contacted and certain
uprights; Dittersdorfers' No. 1 and No. 2; partial tones needed are muted and there can be
American Felt Co.'s first and second; The Felt- no refinement beyond that point. A hammer
ers Co.'s first and second; Standard first and should contact the wire at a point and immedi-
ately leave it. If I could secure the experiments
second; also a piece of Neish's English felt.
Specific felts and hammers then were inti- of each man interested in this proposition cov-
mately discussed. Mr. Vilim stated that this ering two weeks' time, I feel certain I could
year's makes of felts were inferior to felts made evolve from it a formula translatable into felt
in the preceding years and exhibited samples of factory terms, and thus establish a line of com-
various domestic felts of the years 1915 and munication between the user of hammers and
the maker of felts. When the responsibility for
1916, respectively, in proof of his contention.
r
Those present examined both sheets and ham- a faulty hammer lies w ith the man who speci-
mers, noting carefully the faults in the 1916 fies, there is hope of tonal progress. I want to
product as indicated by Mr. Vilim. He pointed express for the piano technicians, Mr. Vilim,
out that the 1916 hammer cuts through and is our appreciation of your presence and we thank
less durable; is less resilient; is less uniform in you for the great trouble .you have been put to
fibre direction; shorter fibred; less perfectly in enlightening us and feel we have been well
carbonized; contains more hard spots and tar repaid."
specks.
The meeting was then adjourned to meet
F. E. Morton: "I want to call your attention Thursday, December 21, at 7 30 p. m., in the
to the possibilities of the practical application Acoustic Laboratory of the American Steel &
of that which we have learned from the ham- Wire Co.
Style 74
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