Truck-stop coffee goo

[Jill Kennon]

Hi list,
I came across an old Vose and Sons grand with a saturated pinblock (PBR
overdose that didn't work? )  It was done with  stuff that looks like
truck-stop coffee goo, and some of it seeped through to the keys
underneath, leaving a lovely stain, but apparently not affecting the
bushings.  Many pins are so loose, (about 20%) that they turn the tuning
lever, when I let it go, and they span the entire scale. Also there's
corrosion at the felts under the wires, front and back. Other than that,
the action seems fine, no obvious repairs needed, just regulation and
the hammers could be replaced, or filed one more time and voiced. The
dampers are all doing their job. and the case and soundboard are in good
shape.
I'll be checking the pinblock again, this time having the good fortune
of  another brain being there (Guy Nichols) to see if it's laminants are
still together. As I understand it,  if the pinblock is trashed, then
removing all the pins and corroded strings could necessitate a
restringing job, which also dictates a new damper job. And this points
towards just doing the whole nine yards, with new hammers, dampers, and
well shucks, how about refinishing the case and harp. In other words, I
could job it out to the SAMA plant, leaving the voicing and subsequent
tunings to me. I'm gathering the options here, to communicate to the
customer. What can I do on this job as a newbie with a workbench but not
a rebuilding shop? Opinions?

Thanks, Jill Kennon