hammer plastic material?

[pnoboy]

Does anyone know what type of plastic Fender used to make the hammers?  Did it change over the years?  I seem to recall reading that it was ABS, but I have not been able to verify that.  It would be good to find out so we could definitively know which solvents and chemicals are safe to use around the hammers and which are not.  Please excuse me if this topic was already brought up.

Thanks

[David Aubke]

Based on my experiences, I'd say the plastic has changed over the years. But I don't know anything more such as exactly what type(s) of plastic have been used.

I've always trusted naphtha to not react with any of the plastics in a Rhodes and so far, it hasn't let me down. The opposite is true of acetone. Any plastic piece of my pianos that has contacted acetone has been left scarred or melted.

[pianotuner steveo]

I agree with David, acetone should not go near any plastic in any piano, Rhodes or otherwise.

[Fred]

Cycolac is the material used for the hammers. There may have been different grades used over the years, or sets may age differently due to climate, or changes in initial manufacture that could influence plastics over time.

As David pointed out, naphtha is the solvent of choice. I have found this to be the safest way (at least for the hammers themselves) of removing felt from the hammer cams if you encounter that era of piano and want to convert to pedestal felts.

[pnoboy]

Thanks for the info.  Interestingly, Cycolac is a brand name for a plastic that is ABS with additives.  Apparently the additive must greatly improve the chemical resistance, because the chemical resistance of ordinary ABS is pretty poor.