new one reply

[pianoman]

Actually there is too much wood missing to use wood restorer.  Needed is
complete filler blocks replaced and what ever else they call those supports
back there.
It really gives you a creepy feeling and makes you hope you are not
carrying any of those bugs home.
James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"I am only as good as my last tuning"

----------
> From: Lance Lafargue <lafargue@iAmerica.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: new one
> Date: Friday, December 19, 1997 7:23 AM
> 
> James,
> You're only as good as your last estimate, and it sounds like it was a
good
> one.  Man!  Sounds scary.  I wouldn't think that piano wood (HA!) hold a
> tuning for long.  I wood be curious who tuned it last and if it is likely
> that they tuned it to 440, or the low pitch is due to their cutting
corners
> five years ago.  If the back is separated, it is likely the bugs. It
sounds
> like this wood be an excellent opportunity to experiment with that "Wood
> Restorer" product.  
> Lance Lafargue, RPT
> New Orleans Chapter
> Covington, LA.
> lafargue@iamerica.net
> 
> ----------
> > From: pianoman <pianoman@inlink.com>
> > To: pianotech@ptg.org
> > Subject: new one
> > Date: Thursday, December 18, 1997 5:21 PM
> > 
> > Today I ran across something I have never seen before.  This fellow
> called
> > me up for a tuning appointment for his Baldwin console.  It had been
> about
> > 5 years since last tuned and he said he thought he had a bug problem as
> > something had eaten through the protective felt covering over the
> pinblock.
> > When I got there this morning and opened the lid, WOW.  There was one
> place
> > about 4 inches in diameter eaten through down into the wood in back of
> the
> > pinblock and directly above that into the bottom surface of the lid.  I
> > told him that the felt covering should be removed so we could see the
> > extent of the damage.  He tore it off and all along the top were gaping
> > holes and the space between the back post ends were hollow from being
> eaten
> > away.  In addition, I guess because the filler block had been eaten
away
> > the pinblock was separated from the back about 1/8" or so .  The
dampers
> > were not raising from the strings properly and the pitch was over -120c
> > flat in the middle and worse towards the treble end.  I told him that
the
> > normal fix was to pull the front to the back with clamps and put in lag
> > screws gluing everything back together but the problem was that there
is
> > nothing to glue the pinblock back to.  Strangely enough there was no
> other
> > damage over the rest of the piano inside or out.  I don't know enough
> about
> > termites but it would seem that they would be damaging something else
> close
> > by.  He said the piano had been in the same place for over 10 years.  I
> > advised that he call an exterminator to check out the damage and to see
> if
> > he could recognize the perpetrator.  The eaten away part was a drab
gray
> > flaky color.  I advised also to check with his insurance to see if he
had
> > any coverage due to insect damage and wrote on his receipt that I
thought
> > the piano was a total loss and see if that would get him anywhere. 
> > Remember this is not in the tropics where this may be common, it is the
> St.
> > Louis suburbs not far from where I live.
> > 	Do you think I gave the right advice?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > James Grebe
> > R.P.T. from St. Louis
> > pianoman@inlink.com
> > "I am only as good as my last tuning"