finger gunk poll :(

[Alan Crane]

For a short time now, I've been using up a container of Wet Ones - 
Antibacterial Moist Towelettes (it was just lying around the shop and I 
needed something in a pinch for one of the classroom grands).
They seem to work really well, dry quickly, don't run down the sides of the 
keys, are convenient to carry & store, and (most important) the "gunk" just 
sort of disappears into the towelettes.
They also claim to kill germs which, if true, is always a plus.
These things contain alcohol (and some other stuff like aloe...) but I 
haven't noticed anything but the filth coming off the keys (ie. no stain, 
lacquer, or other finish).

As far as cleaning "gunk" off the unfinished wood on the side of the 
keystick during rebushing or other work, I'm not sure I'd want to use this 
much moisture and would probably opt for Otto's wide sharp chisel.

I really like using Cory's "Key Brite" too and have found it to remove the 
"gunk" in short order.  What I like best about it, though, is the pristine 
feel the keys have afterward.  I think the Wet Ones leave a slightly 
different feel (probably the Aloe, etc.) but its such a minor difference I 
don't worry about that on non-concert instruments at all.

If anyone else has experience using these products in this capacity, I'd 
like to hear their thoughts on them.

Thanks to everyone who has thrown their "two cents" in on this thread; its 
been very helpful.



Regards,

Alan Crane, RPT
School of Music
Wichita State University
alan.crane@wichita.edu