I have had some conversation with Mr. Knudsen about his Weber Duo-Art
hammers and I thought it might be helpful to repeat it here on MMD.

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First email to Mr. Knudsen:

I run one of the largest restoration facilities in the Midwest (St.
Louis) and I have used just about every hammer they make in the last
30+ years.

NuTone hammers are fine but I have noticed that they become brassy in
tone very shortly with regular playing of the piano (like in a
Duo-Art).  We replace hammers so the tone can be more refined and not
turn brassy within a couple of years.  It should take ten to twenty
years, depending on playing.

If the piano is a Bechstein or Seiler I would use Able hammers since
that is what was used originally.

For uprights, except for Steinway or Mason Hamlin, I use Ronsen
hammers.

I would never use a set of Schaff hammers, and the Renner hammers that
the piano suppliers sell are overpriced and usually the wrong model
hammer.  That may be where your tech got the idea of hammers not
fitting.

The Weber Duo-Art is my personal favorite.  I have three of them.  My
personal preference for Weber is Renner Blue hammers.  If your
technician is charging an exorbitant amount, find another one.  I had
a friend ripped off for $2,500.00 for premium Renner Blue hammers and
then he did not even use Renner.  (Hell, for that amount he could have
replaced the whole action.)

Ask to see the green tag from the paper wrapper of the hammer package.
I will cheat and tell you that a set of hammers costs your tech about
$300.00, depending upon tail shaping and boring he has them do.  Do not
worry about shape and size.  They will copy your original samples
exactly.  When someone spends nearly $20,000 to have us restore their
reproducing grand, we do not use anything that is "make-do."  (Our
piano-only restoration is usually about $7,500.00 and half of that is a
new action.)

These Renner Blue hammers can only be bought from Lloyd Meyer at Renner
USA in Weston CT. (just in case your tech is unaware of them.

Good Luck,

D. L. Bullock    Piano World    St. Louis

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Response:

> I had a talk with my piano tech about hammers, and he says
> that Renner Blues are very hard and bright to begin with.
> But he, I, and his supplier are working on the choice.

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Second email to Mr. Knudsen:

Lloyd Meyer is the only supplier of Renner Blue hammers.  They are most
assuredly NOT too bright.  All my customers hear them and do not want
anything done to them at all.  I don't know what he's talking about.
You might have that problem with the piano supply Renner hammers, but
you will not have that problem with those from Renner USA.  I have
never been so disappointed with hammers as with NuTone hammers
requested by a customer.  In less than three years of use by a concert
pianist, those hammers sound like a honky tonk piano.  I have two sets
here in my shop to listen to.

I have installed Renner Blue into all other restorations since 1990 and
I will use no other except on super cheap pianos.  There is almost no
voicing required.  I usually find I have to voice about 6 or 7 hammers
per set until they have been on the piano for a year or two then I
would expect to revoice anyway.  The only thing I do is minor sandfile
shaping before they go on and tail shaping to match the shape of the
originals which is a smooth curve so the backcheck can grab it slowly
and actually slow it to a stop.  That is compared to hammers put on
without proper shaping and they bash into the backchecks to stop.  I
also do a checker file on the tails to give more to grab onto.  If all
this is not done you will notice that when you play a chord the keys
will give a feel of hitting back a microsecond after striking the
chord.  That is the unshaped tails bashing into the backcheck.  (This
feel can also be caused by the damper lever stop rail being too high.)

* One very important thing: do not apply ANY liquid voicing fluids
to Renner hammers.  All loudening and softening is done with needles
only ... with needles ONLY! *

Renner will send a pamphlet with your set of hammers detailing the
technique of hardening hammers with needles, and I know to most
techs it sounds crazy 'til they do it.  But it works, far better than
Steinway's technique of floating hammers in Acetone and melted keytop
plastic.

I have the Renner USA address and numbers here.  I just got a fax from
them.

  Renner USA (Lloyd Meyer)
  P.O. Box 1223
  Weston CT 06883
  tel: 203-221-7500
  fax: 203-454-7866

D. L. Bullock    Piano World    St. Louis