>Ron, > While prepping a Story and Clark-Chinese Vertical , I tried to >remove the bags from the bottom of the piano, except they were stapled >down and the bag fell apart. Those little dingle balls went every where >and I said some very bad words. > Tom Driscoll Hi Tom, Silica gel, or whatever the desiccant de jour may happen to be at the moment, is a wonderful thing in it's proper usage, but... What is it doing in a piano? There is a finite amount of moisture any given desiccant can absorb. If the shipping crate is hermetically sealed, then the piano isn't going to absorb any more moisture than was in the air at the time it was packed, so without the benefit of any packaged desiccants, it's already at, and shall forevermore remain at, equilibrium moisture content of the contained environment - as long as the moisture barrier isn't breached. If the crate isn't hermetically sealed, then no conceivable quantity of desiccant can protect it from moisture in transit, or storage, or time on the open docks during thunderstorms, hurricanes, and labor union strikes. All things considered, in pianos the stuff is utterly superfluous and functionally useless - like a city mayor. So why is it packed in a piano in the first place, much less in places, and by methods that make it a pain in the butt to remove? Also like a city mayor, come to think of it. Just wondering. Ron N
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