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I can't recall a video on needling hammers on an upright. The technique show on grand hammers with the action pulled does not work.

For some years I have been presenting classes and seminars on such esoteric topics as “How the Piano Works,” “Understanding the Modern Piano, “Voicing the Soundboard,” or “Voicing the Whole Piano.” The importance of these classes and seminars is generally underestimated. After all, if one is not planning on designing and building new pianos why should it be necessary to know anything about stringing scales or soundboard design? Still, I continue to advocate these classes—and present them at considerable personal expense—because it has long been my belief that the more we know about the instrument we work on the better our work will be and the less damage we will inflict on the poor things. The less mysterious the piano becomes the less fear we will have in trying something new and the more confidence we can have in trying something a bit out of the norm. Not to mention the fact that fewer mistakes based on ignorance will be made.

Understanding the acoustical differences between different types of scales might well keep one from attempting to achieve impossible results and, in the process, causing irreparable damage to the hammers. Understanding the physics of what is happening at the bass/tenor transition might prevent one from over-voicing—and ruining—the hammers in that area when it is really the soundboard system that needs voicing. Indeed, it will open up whole a whole new area of voicing potential techniques; techniques that do not include the hammers at all. Understanding what is really causing that sharp, percussive attack and abnormally short sustain time might prevent destructive and useless hammer voicing techniques and enable one to properly explain to the piano owner what is really making the piano sound that way. And the list goes on….

To use the present case as an example, you do not really need to know that, “Cationic softeners bind by electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged groups on the surface of the fibers and neutralize their charge; the long aliphatic chains are then oriented towards the outside of the fiber, imparting lubricity.” But it is helpful to understand that, quite simply, fabric softeners work by lubricating the felted wool fibers. And thinking about this for a time will be helpful in understanding what effect this might have on the hammer as it impacts the taut strings in a piano.

The more one knows about wool, felt (including the felting process), hammer making and the interaction between the hammers impact against the strings the less mysterious hammer voicing becomes. The idea of treating hammers with fabric softener then becomes a relatively simple decision about whether or not lubricating the surfaces of interlocked and stressed wool fibers in these specific hammers will be beneficial or destructive to the production of piano tone in this particular piano.

I am obviously in favor of experimentation—I certainly do enough of it myself—but as much as possible I try to make this informed experimentation. Otherwise it becomes something like the Edison principle of invention: try everything you can think of and eventually something might work. With luck you might end up with something that works but you’ll have wasted a lot of time and ruined a lot of hammers in the process. And you’ll have learned very little. Having a working knowledge of the materials from which the piano is made—wood, steel and iron, wool, etc.—will give a significant head start in subsequent experimentation. As well, understanding how strings of different physical characteristics vibrate will help one to analyze the sounds heard and will make for much more intelligent voicing choices.

ddf

I don’t think I have ever encouraged anyone to wait until they know it all before doing “empirical research.” In my case I would not yet be qualified to do research of any kind! I do, however, encourage those wanting to expand their knowledge and skills—and that should include everyone wishing to make piano tuning and servicing a profession (even a part time profession)—to first do the requisite background study to guide them along the way.

Generally speaking, empirical research is used to answer questions or to test a theory. To continue using the idea of treating hammers with fabric softener it might be a good idea to learn just what fabric softener is formulated to accomplish and how the chemicals affect wool fibers in an effort to understand what might happen when it is applied to hammers. This knowledge will be quite useful in predicting how the fabric softener might work when applied to hammers of varying physical qualities and what might be the acoustical effect.

I continue to believe it is a good idea to acquire as much background information as possible before moving to the empirical research phase. Too often, I think, the question is there and the application is there—all too often on an unsuspecting customer’s piano—but the theory is missing.

ddf

Does anyone know the recipe for hammer softening solution?

Is research available on the long term effects of fabric softener introduced to strings via hammers treated thereby, and sent via vibrational travel to bearing points and parts, many and varied? When I hear of a "lubricant" contacting string I see a yellow flag. Perhaps someone can allay any concerns?

As Issac said, the "lubricant" is a chemical that attaches itself to wool fibres and the rest turns to dust. If used in measured quantities there should be little or no dust.