tuning stability

[A440A@aol.com]

In response to the question;
>       What kind of lubricant is most effective and easiest to apply at
>the bearing points between the speaking length and tuning pin? If the
>cost of the lubricant and time involved in applying were not factors,
>when would it be ideal to apply it?"

Steve Brady invites;
>I'd like to throw this whole issue out there for your comments
and experiences.

One of the mistakes I made long ago was smoothing and polishing a capo bar on
a Steinway, after which I rubbed it with assembly lube,(molybdeum based). I
wiped it down with a dry cloth and strung the piano, knowing that I had the
perfect surface to move strings across.
     The piano was untunable!!.  On the SAT, I noticed that a FF blow would
move a string down as much as 2 cents, and then as I watched, it would come
back up.  The strings would move around like crazy, you could press on the
topstring with your finger and the pitch would change, and it was like that
until I took cotton balls soaked with acetone and blotted the string bearing
over the entire capo section, after which it immediately began to behave.   I
think too much friction at the capo is problematic, but too little is a
disaster.
     One more pothole on the road to refinement!
Ed Foote