[CAUT] Not so Funny

[Ed Sutton]

Jim-
What is your objection to the use of ProLube at the bearing points, applied
carefully with a small artist's brush?
Ed Sutton


> [Original Message]
> From: James Ellis <claviers@nxs.net>
> To: <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: 3/12/2005 8:00:52 AM
> Subject: [CAUT] Not so Funny
>
> On March 9, Lance Laffargue asked an honest question about any possible
> lubricant that might be used on the capo bars of those M&H Mod. BBs with
> the very steep string angle.  I'm familiar with that problem.  Lance asked
> an honest question that deserved an honest answer, but instead, he
received
> a series of jokes about spraying WD-40.  I didn't think they were funny,
> because some people have been known to do the very thing those jokes
> described.
>
> About a decade ago, another technician called me to advise and/or assist
> him in removing WD-40 that a third techician had applied to a teaching
> studio M&H grand.  I agreed, under the condition that I would do my best,
> but there would be no guarantee of results, good or bad.  The objective
was
> to get that stuff out of there before some of it migrated down into the
> pinblock.
>
> I took an ample supply of cotton and cotton balls, clean rags, pairs of
> long tweezers, a small can of naphtha, and some plastic bags.  I packed
> cotton around the tuning pins to prevent an accidental spatter from
running
> down the pin.  Then we very carefully went to work, string by string, with
> small wads of cotton moistened with the naphtha and held by tweezers,
> followed immediately with small wads of dry cotton.  As I say, one string
> at a time - very carefully - so as not to spread that stuff around.  The
> clean-up was successful, and nothing went down into the block.  The job,
> plus the trip, took the best part of one day.  As long as there are some
> people who will put this stuff in this area of pianos, it is not something
> to joke about.  
>
> As for a lubricant:  Before the piano is strung, a pure paste wax like you
> would use to wax your car - the kind without any abrasive - can be applied
> to the contact surface of the copo, dried and rubbed out.  That will help
a
> little bit by adsorbing to the semi-porous surface of a cast iron capo,
and
> it will retard corrosion, but it won't be permanent.  I'm sure there are
> other substances that would be better than the paste wax.  But as I said,
> before stringing.  After the piano has been strung, NO, NOTHING.
>
> Sincerely, Jim Ellis
>
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