>From: Del > My next question...have you noticed any difference in performance, or > tuning, or tuning stability that you could attribute to these differing > bridge treatments? Yes! Hi Del, Gina and Co In bridges without treatment, I have noticed a higher than average tendency for rust on the strings, specifically at the point of contact with the bridge surface, and also on the bridge pins. ...I can't say categorically how much more than usual, I haven't recorded or formally analysed the phenomenon, I suspect that the post mentioning the graphite acting as a sealant could be onto something....there was a piano I saw with chronic rusting (not an old instrument, maybe 8 years old) localised at the bridge, the rest of the strings were fine, the piano was not in an overtly humid environment and not close enough to the sea to be an issue....short story....salt content in the wood in the bridge was sky-high...the report that came back from the testing lab read "there's more salt in this than I'd have on my fries!" Does wood have a certain level of natural salt anyway? maybe this is why we need to separate the wood and the string....? I have a colleague that prefers to seal the bridge completely, after notching then graphites and burnishes, pins and strings... he feels more confident about the longevity of the bridge especially in tough environments. Cheers Mark - I'll have wood salt on those fries thanks - Bolsius We call fries "chips" here in Australia
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