Junghans Hammer Heads

[Richard Shelton]

A Junghans mantle clock, manufactured B09, has fabric covered hammer heads. This is the first time I've seen this and I wonder what to use to recover them. Here's a picture of one that has been disassembled along with the others not yet started. Suggestions?

 

[mauleg]

The material you choose depends on the tone you're after. Cloth, however, will wear very fast, so leather is the material of choice. Thicker leather = more muted sound. I like loud, bright chimes, so for hammers like these, I hammer the thinnest leather I can find so that it's even thinner, install it on the hammer, then soak it in superglue. And yes, I let the superglue dry...

 

[wow]

Stick -on pads used for furniture legs may work. Cut them to the size so they will fold over the head, glue them with super glue, and slip the sleeve over it. If too thick, try cutting a small pad for the head and wrapping it with strong nylon or such. You could twist tiny wire over the material in each slot before putting on the sleeve. Never done these before but just thinking out loud. Let us know how you resolve it. Interesting!

 

[Uhralt]

I wasn't able to squeeze leather in there. Couldn't find anything thin enough. I cut small pieces of microfiber cloth as used for cleaning glasses and were able to squeeze them in. It sounds fine. I will see how long they will last because it is my own 1907 Junghans chimer.

Uhralt

 

[Richard Shelton]

Thanks for the suggestions! I used chamois as it was thin and pliable enough to stretch around the nose and under the collar. The first couple of tries tore; moistening with neat's foot oil seemed to help. The chime notes are "brighter" than what you hear from leather pads. Time will tell if these hold up.