Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum What glue to use for hammer heads?

One of the tolerances that insures a lasting joint is how tightly the hammer fits on the shank.

If you are accustomed to boring and reaming the shank hole making for a looser fit then perhaps many glues will fail.

If you can hang a set of hammers with a tight tolerance between the shank and the hole in the hammer, then even Hot Hyde glue will be very difficult to free.

You should have a shank knurler if you replace hammer heads. The knurling swells up and makes a tight joint as long as you use a water-based glue. Shanks may come knurled, but they will absorb water between the time they are made and the time you install them, so it is better to do it over yourself.

It's probably somewhat similar, but unlike cold hide glue, it does have a gel temperature.

I just glued on some hammers using the Titebond molding and trim glue. I was unhappy with the alignment of a few of the hammer heads, so I decided to try heating the heads and moving the angle. I clamped a heat gun into a vise, and held the hammer and shank in front of it to heat the joint. It worked. You heat it, put pressure on the joint, and once it gets warm enough you can feel it move. Now I'm wondering if this compromises the strength of this type of glue. Does anyone know?