Stuck to bench top

[Brian Trout]

Hi John,

Thanks for the laugh!  (I know, it probably wasn't very funny at the time,
but looking back...)

That's been a problem for me at times as well,  not so much sticking to the
seat as much as leaving my ... well, ... you know, the whitened image of my
back side in the finish on the bench...  I am pretty wiggly when I'm tuning,
so for a long time, I just tried to make it even so it didn't look so much
like 'two cheeks and a crack'.  But as of late, if it looks like I'm in
danger of leaving my 'mark', I'll ask for a towel of some kind to sit on.
It generally only happens with piano bench tops that were finished with
lacquer, so there's a lot of them that don't mark very easily.  It's either
that or stand to tune, and being about 5'10",  there's usually not a
comfortable position to tune in while standing, especially for the Baldwin
spinets.

I don't know of anything you can really do for the finishes other than let
them sit.  I'm guessing that body heat softens the lacquer, and moisture (as
in perspiration) will get into the finish.  The moisture is what gives the
'blush' or white marks.  Normally, the moisture will find its way back out
of the finish on it's own.  (But it is a bit embarrassing to stand up and
see the...'white moon arising'...)  <sorry, couldn't help myself>

I like the bench to have the hinge towards the piano.  It seems more logical
to me.  If I want a piece of music from the bench, and if I'm seated at the
piano, it's less cumbersome to have to open the bench from that direction
without having to move it, and still be able to see into it well.  Just an
opinion.  I doubt it really matters to most people.

Thanks again for the story.  :-)

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net