doper's question

[Mike and Jane Spalding]

Friends,

I have doped several pinblocks this year with CA.  This is a new procedure for me; I haven't had a chance to see how these dopings hold up over the years.  Or, as concerns me right now, during the year.  Here in Wisconsin, a piano might experience a range of humidities from 60% in the summer to 30% in the winter.  I have noticed that the pianos I doped this summer seemed to absorb less CA than the ones I did earlier in the year.  Concidence?  Or humidity-swollen less absorbent pinblock?  My first doping, January, seems to be at least as tight if not tighter now than it was a week after the CA was applied.  I'm wondering now if my summer dopings will get looser in the winter?  As much as possible, I had wanted to schedule the dopings for the summer months so that I could work with the windows open.  But if the humidity issue makes this a less effective season to dope, I don't want to continue this way.  I had thought of putting a Dampp-Chaser bar temporarily in the action cavity (with action removed) to dry out the block for several days before applying the CA.  Am I obsessing over a molehill?  (My wife tells me I am prone to do this).  Anyone out there have some experience or clarifying thoughts?

thanks

Mike Spalding, RPT