Spraying aggraffes w/lacquer!

[Paul Chick]

No. I've found sprayed agraffs, and earlier years use to spray them and have
found no affect on tone. Now I just clean them with a brass cleaner used by
gunsmiths.

Paul Chick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 11:38 AM
Subject: Re: Spraying aggraffes w/lacquer!


> Joseph Garrett wrote:
>
> > Wim & all,
> > I strongly urge you NOT to spray the aggraffes with lacquer, after
cleaning
> > and polishing! The lacquer becomes a "contaminate" at the termination
point.
> > Case in point, we've all seen a "redone" grand, where the plate was
sprayed,
> > with strings attached. This also included the aggraffes with gold spray
all
> > over them. And the piano sounded like hell. Why? Because the lacquer was
on
> > the termination point. Yes, I did clean a few to prove the point and it
did
> > improve the sound.
> > Regards,
> > Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)
>
> hmm... this sounds a little suspect... brand new laquer or spray paint
you say
> ??.. how much could possibly get into the string holes ?...
>
> Would seem to take a lot laquer to build up a thick enough coat to inhibit
or
> influence the strings vibration. And how long could the laquer stay in the
way
> given the strings cutting power ??.
>
> I am wondering what you used to clean the agraffe with... pehaps you
actaully
> dressed up the termination itself a bit ??..
>
> This one sound very curious indeed. I have seen plenty plates spray
painted as
> you say... I think it looks a bit silly to gold paint the brass... but I
have
> never found anything that would hint that this would wreck the sound of an
> instrument. Tho since its you Joe... I will be on the lookout for the next
one
> of these I run into and see if I can confirm your claim.
>
> Anyone else have Joes experience ?
>
> --
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
> mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
>
>