Hammer Shaping

Piano hammers are made of compressed felt. Over years of striking the strings they start to become worn and flat, even taking on deep gouges in the shape of the strings. Rather than striking the strings with a rounded crown, they start to clobber the strings with a striking surface shaped like a boxers knuckles.
It takes a bit of time and effort to reshape the hammers, but it's 100% worth it. This piano, which lives in the nave of a church in Bayfield WI, and the congregation was thrilled to hear how clear and warm it sounds after a hammer shaping.