HAMMER FILING

We aren’t talking about putting hammers in drawers. In this look at the anatomy of a piano, we’ll look at filing down the felt heads of your piano’s hammers, a repair that is common with pianos that have seen years of play.

Have you ever noticed a mushy or dull feel to playing a key on an older piano? Over time and after thousands of
strikes, the strings of a piano wear gaps in the hammer felt. Because they are constantly striking your piano’s strings, the hammers usually get the most punishment of any part of the instrument. Rather than striking the edge of the felt, the strings fall into cuts and don’t produce quite the sound that they once did.

The remedy to this problem is to file the hammers so that they strike the strings evenly. This process involves hammer-by-hammer filing of felt with sandpaper. As we file the strings, we must continuously ensure correct sound quality.

Because of the constant voicing that’s involved with filing hammers, it isn’t a repair that your average piano owner can do. If you’re noticing a dull and mushy quality when playing your piano, perhaps it’s time to get those hammers filed for a crisp, clean sound with every note. Contact us to learn more about piano service and refurbishment.