Verdigris fix

Susan Kline sckline@home.com
Sat, 06 Oct 2001 10:39:48 -0700


At 09:18 AM 10/6/2001 -0700, Terry Peterson wrote:
>There's another ad for a Dampp-chaser!

A nice thought, but I'm afraid not. The dry climates I'm talking about,
such as the high plains or Rocky Mountains, spend most of the year at
a far lower humidity than 40%, where the Dampp-chasers kick in. And asking
a rod or a couple of rods with 25 or 50 watts of heat to overcome a muggy
Eastern or Southern summer is unreasonable, which is why the full Dampp-chaser
system has to add water in the winter, instead of keeping a piano as dry
as the Gobi desert or a New England living room in December.

Besides, when we're talking about verdigris, it is usually in grand pianos.
The Dampp-chasers are under the soundboard, removed from the action cavity.
If one is put in the action cavity, it risks hurting the pinblock, and for
that reason is usually a lower wattage.


>>From: Susan Kline <sckline@home.com>
>
>>My theory: verdigris forms much more readily in damp climates, but doesn't
>>recur nearly as badly in dry ones. Possibly (just possibly) some old parts
>>may be reusable if repinned or rebushed, once the piano has been taken to a
>>dry climate.
>>
>>Does anyone have any corroboration or contrary evidence? And does anyone
>>have a Steinway which went to a very dry climate like Montana when young,
>>and never developed any verdigris?
>>
>>Thanks --
>>
>>Susan



This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC