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...German Crafted Hammers with 16 pound felt... Hammers provide the percussive element to a piano. Tonal vibration begins once the hammers strike the strings.
Each set of hammers starts with a German Maple moulding just over a yard long. The moulding has been tapered for thicker (bass hammers) and thinner (treble hammers).
Under felt will
be attached to the moulding (see diagram) and placed in a hydraulic press,
under extreme pressure until the glue has cured. Most piano builders
prefer a hammer with under felt. This felt will be somewhat softer than
the hammer felt. This
Hammer felt, like the hammer moulding, will be cut in a tapered sheet about one-yard square. That square piece of felt may weigh from ten to sixteen pounds. Rawlins & Co. pianos use sixteen pound felt. Ten sets of hammers will be cut from each piece of felt.
The hammer maker
cuts the felt in the shape of a pyramid (see diagram). The pointed top of th
A poor quality hammer will produce poor tonal quality even from the finest musical instrument.
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 ♫...
distinct timbre...
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takes
some of the woody-ness out of the tone. A piano, after all, has always
been a percussion instrument.
e pyramid goes against the leading edge of the moulding. When placed into
the cull of the press, the sides, when glued to the moulding, produce
tremendous tension on the striking edge of the hammer. Each hammer will
then be stapled
top
and bottom. Glue holds the felt to the moulding. The staple keeps the
hammer from ballooning during the thousands of times the hammer strikes
the string.
A
superior hammer will not make an inferior piano sound good.