breaking strings

[Tom Cole]

Dick Powell wrote:
> 
> List, instead of using liquid wrench I sometimes use a non petrolium
> spray such as silicone & apply this to the V bar. I have noticed less
> string breakage while doing pitch raises. If this is a no no and might do
> damage  please inform me. Thanks.
> Dick
> 
Dick,

I think that using silicone, in any form, on the bearing points would be
dangerous. I'm not so sure that the silicone will not creep and, being
so close to the tuning pins and pin block - that and the fact that you
are spraying the stuff - would make me real nervous if you were tuning
my piano.

To counter a couple of previous posts, I think using liquid wrench would
be okay. I was taught to use it on any piano that hadn't been tuned for
a while and did so without any ill effects for many years until I
thought, what would happen if I didn't use any lube but just first
dropped the pitch before raising, and I didn't experience more strings
breaking afterward. The idea, in my mind, is to break the rust bond
which dropping the pitch accomplishes quite well.

Now, the only part of the strings that I use a lube on is the tuning pin
segment where it bears on the understring felt. If I have difficulty in
getting strings to be in tune (pitch changes erratically, does not
follow movement of tuning pin), putting some Prolube spray on this area
seems to help.

Tom
-- 
Thomas A. Cole RPT
Santa Cruz, CA