upright piano hammer replacement

thingiverse

This is an alternative solution for a missing hammer on an upright piano. The pictured replacement hammers were cut from 1/4" poplar and glued together to be 1/2" thick, then sanded down to match original hammers at 0.4". The unique feature of this design is the extended slot at its bottom that allows easy gluing onto old broken shafts without replacement. Additionally, it can be tilted to hit strings at the correct angle. Felt used in these hammers is wool from a craft drawer; however, real hammer heads mostly consist of felt. Creating these wooden hammers was easier than using all-felt ones. Instructions include choosing wood stock close to piano' s hammer thickness and gluing layers together followed by sanding if necessary. Felt strips should be cut and glued onto the rounded surface of the hammer head. To fit it onto broken shafts, a slot is dabbed with glue, allowed to thicken, then the hammer is inserted while adjusting tilt and rotation for correct string angle contact. The durability of these hammers is uncertain but better than having a gap in the piano.