----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Bazemore" <tunericks@yahoo.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 6:10 AM Subject: Soundboard Cleaning > On this subject Reblitz recommends using the soundboard steel with a cloth moistened with the water/vinegar solution. My question is wouldn't the moisture in the cloth coming in contact with the strings cause them to rust? > > I am scheduled to do this procedure Wednesday and would appreciate your responses. > > Rick Bazemore Yeah, the T-shaped, or squeegee-shaped tools are great. But you don't have to use them directly on the soundboard. Use them in conjunction with a rag or dustcloth. Dampen the rag, maybe with a little household cleaner, depending how dirty the board is, and use the tools to push the rag around with. That way the felt on them never gets very dirty or worn-down. You can use a soundboard steel also, but you have to file off the sharp edges so they don't scratch the board, which is hard to do because it's tempered steel. So, better, get some heat-shrink tubing that just fits over the soundboard steel and shrink it with a heat gun around the steel. I find the soundboard steel useful for pushing and pulling rags under the plate, behind the bridge, under the bass strings on top of the bridge apron, and up front between the strings and the plate web on some pianos. Also the long one is useful for fishing out vibrating objects from under the plate. A 1 in. wide paintbrush in conjunction with a vacuum cleaner crevice tool is very good for cleaning around the edge of the plate, getting the dust loose from bridge pins, and in the tuning pin area. --David Nereson, RPT
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