Step 1:
Put on gloves and goggles, place a cloth or kitchen paper across all the keys to prevent damage to
the keys during the procedure. Remove the lid, flip up the harp (make sure it’s secure so that it doesn’t drop) and remove the front panel from your piano. Put all screws safely aside.

Step 2:
Support the hammers underneath using a block of wood to prevent strain on the hammer pivots and
combs.

Step 3:
Pull off the hammer tips using pliers using a side to side/twist movement, whilst pushing the hammer down onto the wood block so that it doesn’t move whilst pulling the hammer tip off. Note: some tips may come off cleanly leaving just glue to scrape off, some tips may leave rubber and glue- all of this must be cleanly removed to allow the new tips to be attached at the same level.

Step 4:
Remove the old glue and rubber left behind by scraping away from you using the Stanley knife. Go gently so as not to damage the hammer upstands that sit at the edges of the hammer flat surface.

Step 5:
Gently file away any debris not removed by the blade for a smooth flat surface, go carefully so as not to groove the hammer top or damage the hammer upstands/ridges.

Step 6:
Put on your face mask and open windows to ensure adequate fresh air flow. Proceed to glue 10 tips at a time. Get a good amount of glue onto the flat end of each of the first batch of 10 hammers so that the surface that mates with the hammer tip has an even and full coverage of glue. It’s better to add more than not enough glue.

Step 7:
Get your first 10 hammer tips and one by one, with the sloped portion of the hammer facing away from you towards the back of the piano (with the highest point at the front side), press each tip firmly into the glue and make sure the tips are squared to the hammer top. The upstand/ridge on the back and
front of the hammer top will assist keeping the tip square.

Step 8:
Push down firmly on the tip for a few seconds and then use a baby wipe to remove any excess glue
from the left, right and rear sides. If the hammer tip shifts position whilst removing this excess glue, be sure to re-centre it and then double-check there is no further excess glue to remove.

Step 9:
Repeat across the keyboard for each zone of hammer tip hardness. Leave to dry for 24 hours, then give each tip a firm pinch between your thumb and 3rd finger to make sure the glue is fully set. If any tips come off at this point, scrape off the glue and re-glue the tip.

Step 10:
Use a vacuum cleaner with a crevice nozzle/brush to clean away any remaining glue/rubber debris from the case and under the hammers once you have completed the procedure.