Protek & Teflon

[Kevin E. Ramsey]

    Newton. Good posting. Of course, corroded key pins will always cause
excess friction, and when working on pianos that are older than about five
years, and when I'm trying to eliminate the friction, that it always one of
the first things that I examine.
    However, I am on staff for the one dealership in the Phoenix area. We
handle the following lines. Steinway, Baldwin, Yamaha, Kawai, Samick and all
it's variants, Walter, Conover Cable, the new Essex line from Young Chang
via Steinway, and new to us, Pearl River. I haven't really worked on any of
the Pearl Rivers yet though, they're still too new to us.    I wish that we
carried Seiler, Sauter, Estonia, Bosendorffer, but hey, you can't have
everything, can you?
    So basically, for the last two years I've been doing quite a bit of
prepping, ( Thank God that I get to do the job right, with no time
constraints, because I'm salaried and don't get paid by the job.) It's kind
of like a CAUT job, you get to try anything you want, because it's nobody's
piano yet. Usually, when I'm done with a piano, it sells just like that, and
the salespeople have been selling off my services for most of the time that
I've been employed there.
    I also get to do a whole lot of concert work, since all the Baldwin or
Yamaha or Steinway artists who come into the Phoenix area get their pianos
from us.
    With that said, I have to admit that I'm thinking of going solo. But
since I work on so many brand new pianos, I rarely have to think about, or
address, the "corroded pin" syndrome.
    When I do have to address the issue of corroded pins, rather that using
flitz, which I have done, I am more inclined to use my dremel tool with a
small felt wheel, no polish, and just buff the sucker out. Any striations
left on the pins would be parallel to the movement of the key, and the last
time I tried this with polish and nickel-plated pins, they ended up brass.
Ouch! Next time I have to do this, I'll be using Carl Meyer's key pin
inserting tool, and just replace the whole darn set in less time than to
clean them.


Kevin  Ramsey
ramsey@extremezone.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Newton Hunt" <nhunt@optonline.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: Protek & Teflon


> > I use drafting tape,
>
> Hi Kevin,
>
> Gee, I forgot about drafting tape.  Many tape makers try to get the
stickiest
> stuff they can get or make.  Of of those glues are stronger than the
substrate
> they are applied to.  Drafting tape on the other hand is designed to hold
the
> paper in one place but the tape will come off without tearing the paper or
> leaving some of itself behind.  Good stuff for weak or temporary stickum.
>
> One of the problems with key pins is that they corrode.  Not much and not
> visibly but corrode they do.  Using a real fine metal polish (Brasso is
far too
> crude) the metal can be polished THEN lubricated along with the felt and
the
> bushings will last much longer.  It is the polishing that helps the most
and a
> good coating of a good lubricant will help prevent future corrosion.
>
> Any time you can rub the pin with the key bushing (apply sideways
pressure) and
> get drag it is a corrosion problem.  Don't believe your eyes, believe your
> fingers.
>
> Have a good week all.
>
> Newton