Tuning pin tightners

[Richard Moody]

>
> What you need to do is order a bottle of "Garfields Pinblock
Destroyer" or
> "Pin-Loose" ....
>
> The Phantom Haranger
> Salem, MO

"Hold on thar,  pilgrim"   You won't disparage my favorite pin
block restorer without getting feedback from this public advocate
at least.  The parroting of detrimental effects of tuning pin
tightner shows  an ignorance of what is really happening when one
applies GARFIELDS, or unwillingness to hear about decades of
satisfactory results from professional use of Garfields.
    Part of the problem is there are a few brands of "TP
tightners" that don't work, or don't work nearly as well as
GARFIELDS.  Whether they are "pinblock destroyers" or not I can't
truthfully say.   I have never seen a pin block "destroyed" by
anything but oil, or booze, (grand pianos in bars) but even those
I have gotten favorable results from GARFIELDS.
    Now in anticipation of the most recent spate of favorite "pin
block doping" solutions, I still stand by Garfields over the use
of CA.   Don't get me wrong, I am not disparaging CA, I like it
actually for the one or two or three or up to a dozen loose pins.
That you don't have to tip the upright is another advantage. But
for over all looseness or sections of looseness nothing compares
to GARFIELDS except LUDENS, which because it costs twice as much I
only use when GARFIELDS fails and that has only been once and only
on two pins and that was a bar piano with a truly boozed block.
    Even if all others ("dopes") have failed you can still use
GARFIELDS!!.  I just did this on a studio piano  in a school that
I have tuned for 3 years.  The T pins showed a goop around them
and dripping down to the upper bearing.  Well this spring the pins
were too loose, so the poor Meisner got tipped over and doused
with GARFIELDS.  Now this is the worst case I have ever treated
so if GARFIELDS failed  on this one I will humbly submit such a
report.  But only 3  days after applying, it was up and tuned.
That was three weeks ago, I will see it next week and report the
results and offer digital photos.  The pin block truly looks like
a mess.    ==-rm