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Meteorite Soundpost Hammer
Meteorite Soundpost Hammer
In 2015, I was introduced to the concept of a "soundpost hammer". This is a tool with a slender shaft tipped with a small but ideally heavy hammer head, used for making micro adjustments to the position of a violin or viola's soundpost. While soundpost setters can certainly be used to position the post initially, the added control of positioning the soundpost (that slender dowel of wood spanning the instrument's top to back and held in place by pressure alone) with a few light taps from the hammer allows for easier micro adjustments.
I first made a soundpost hammer for myself out of the silver handle from a candle snuffer, and a small chunk of brass I soldered to the end (pictures of this tool can be seen here). This tool works great, and has gotten a lot of use. I had been considering making another/more, and was looking around for something completely unrelated when I stumbled upon jewelry made from meteoric iron, thin slices of actual meteorites that have fallen to earth. I made the connection between the unique mineral and the material for the head of a new soundpost hammer, and after some internet digging, placed an order for a suitable slice. The piece I received is from the Seymchan meteorite, discovered in Russia in the late 1960's. The crystalline structure of the iron is pretty wild, and I did my best not to disturb it while slicing the piece in half.
The handle I made from a piece of brass rod, with small brass collars for detail. I chose brass for its contrast with the meteorite. The "grip" of the handle is made from a piece of macassar ebony which I planed down into an octagon shape. To attach the meteoric iron head to the brass handle, I drilled a small hole in the head and then soldered it to the handle. Finally, I cold-blued the meteoric iron to highlight the figure, and provide a little more depth. I left the dimensions of the meteorite head tapering and non-precise, as I did not want to risk masking the figure, and because I felt it added a nice "organic" element to the piece and does not impair functionality.
Does this tool work any better than my previous hammer made from brass? Not at all. But there is something rather exciting and absurd about using a piece of material from outer space to adjust and voice violins on earth that makes me grin. Talk about a "space aged" tool in an otherwise very traditional craft!
In 2015, I was introduced to the concept of a "soundpost hammer". This is a tool with a slender shaft tipped with a small but ideally heavy hammer head, used for making micro adjustments to the position of a violin or viola's soundpost. While soundpost setters can certainly be used to position the post initially, the added control of positioning the soundpost (that slender dowel of wood spanning the instrument's top to back and held in place by pressure alone) with a few light taps from the hammer allows for easier micro adjustments.
I first made a soundpost hammer for myself out of the silver handle from a candle snuffer, and a small chunk of brass I soldered to the end (pictures of this tool can be seen here). This tool works great, and has gotten a lot of use. I had been considering making another/more, and was looking around for something completely unrelated when I stumbled upon jewelry made from meteoric iron, thin slices of actual meteorites that have fallen to earth. I made the connection between the unique mineral and the material for the head of a new soundpost hammer, and after some internet digging, placed an order for a suitable slice. The piece I received is from the Seymchan meteorite, discovered in Russia in the late 1960's. The crystalline structure of the iron is pretty wild, and I did my best not to disturb it while slicing the piece in half.
The handle I made from a piece of brass rod, with small brass collars for detail. I chose brass for its contrast with the meteorite. The "grip" of the handle is made from a piece of macassar ebony which I planed down into an octagon shape. To attach the meteoric iron head to the brass handle, I drilled a small hole in the head and then soldered it to the handle. Finally, I cold-blued the meteoric iron to highlight the figure, and provide a little more depth. I left the dimensions of the meteorite head tapering and non-precise, as I did not want to risk masking the figure, and because I felt it added a nice "organic" element to the piece and does not impair functionality.
Does this tool work any better than my previous hammer made from brass? Not at all. But there is something rather exciting and absurd about using a piece of material from outer space to adjust and voice violins on earth that makes me grin. Talk about a "space aged" tool in an otherwise very traditional craft!
Click picture for more detail
Click picture for more detail