Decal masking

[Richard Moody]

This is for old thick varnish with a gorgeous decal underneath that cannot
be ordered, or you like the impressive look of the original decal under
the old "buffed out" finish.   
I have done this a few times, and the results vary.   The simplist way is
to  not refinish any of the  fall board. You will be surprised how this
does not look that bad.  Whether  you leave the entire fall board, or just
a section you will have to work the old finish as follows. 
	  Sand the old varnish,starting with 220 finishing with 400 or  600
wet-dry sandpaper using paint thinner as the wetness.   Apply a hard
drying oil such as Minwax Antique Oil Finish, or Tung oil.  Two to three
coats.  Buff each coat with 0000 steel wool.  Wax with past wax, Carnuba
or Johnson's, which ever you have better luck with.   
	The next easiest way is to leave just the section of the old stencil top
to bottom and strip the rest of the fall board.  Again the area of the
stencil can be sanded and oiled.  Or if refinishing with laquer, laquer
can be applied over that area, and it will "flow" into the varnish a
little.  I don't refinish with laquer so this is all I can say about that.
 

	The most asthetic way is to leave the old finish and decal in an oval
with the rest of the fall board refinished.  This oval area will be darker
that the rest, and the thickness of the old varnish will remain.  But it
really looks impressive if it turns out.  

	The best way to get this oval is to block off a larger area  with
cardboard and masking tape, and strip the rest of the fall board as usual.
 Remove the masking tape and cardboard, and again mask off the area.  Cut
an oval or shape you want from cardboard, and use that to draw the shape
on the masked area.  Cut away the masking tape with a razor so you have
the  shape you want over the area to be preserved.  Use THICK remover to
the edges of the tape and scrape away with the razor gently, when
disolved.  With a rag whetted in thin remover or wash thinner wipe off the
traces of the thick remover. As soon as you are through remove the masking
tape.  If you were careful not too much of the remover will have gotten
under the tape.  You can now "feather" the edges with a rag damped with
thin remover, or sand down the edges, or both.  

	Unless it is badly alligatored over the original name, you will be
surprised how good looking this will come out.  Of course if you can get a
decal from Decals Unlimited, or Pierce you might want to go that way.  But
for some of the old three color decals, (green red, and gold)  You might
want to spend the 20 to 40 minutes extra it takes to try to preserve it. 
I have pictures if you are interested and I can get to the right
scanner... For $20 bucks I will do a video... the decal from ' Unlimited
will cost that.. and it takes a while to apply those decals....and you can
mess them up,,, and they should have multi coats to cover them up good
enough..    Which is what the original decal has to begin with.... and the
"oval" gives a nice antique touch to the over all look of that old
refinished piano. 

Richard Moody 
	South Central South Dakota

----------
> From: Ted Simmons <ted@palmnet.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Decal masking
> Date: Thursday, April 30, 1998 1:05 PM
> 
> I'll be ready this weekend to refinish a piano I'm rebuilding.  I'd like
to
> keep the fallboard decal intact.  Does anyone have any suggestions on
> masking the present decal so I can strip the remainder of the fallboard?
> What works best?
> 
> Ted Simmons
> Merritt Island, FL
>