At 6:40 PM -0500 12/13/02, Sarah Fox wrote: >Don't use any product with water (e.g. alcohol + water), because the >water will stay behind and add to your problem. The proper strategy >would be to flush the bushing with some dehydrating liquid. The >liquid will dissolve and carry away the water, as you dab it away >with a cloth or tissue. Then when the remaining liquid dries, you >will have less water. You would of course have to use a very >volatile liquid, likely acetone, with a roughly zero water content >(e.g. not nail polish remover). Sarah, Your experience seems to be completely the opposite of those of us who have used the alc/H2O treatment quite successfully. The alcohol is a surfactant, allowing the wool cloth to soak of the water. Water laden, the bushings now squeeze against the center pins, and during the 24 hours (roughly rumored thereabouts) is takes the water to evaporate, the wool fibers take a compression set around the pins. Once the bushings have dried out this compression set will have produced a looser fit. Granted it won't work on bushings contaminated by paraffin oil or WD-40, or rusted pins. But those situations are the extreme (except of course for an entire era of Steinway), and are easily spotted. Time is an unavoidable ingredient in this process. Simply soaking the bushing and immediately thereafter chase it out with a hairdryer won't allow the compression set to occur. Tommy should confirm that this action is not suffering from one of the exceptions, then pick up pick it up some morning, apply the alc/H20, and bring it back the next morning. Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter, P.T.G. ".......true more in general than specifically" ...........Lenny Bruce, spoofing a radio discussion of the Hebrew roots of Calypso music +++++++++++++++++++++
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