Hello Patrick and List Thanks for the explanation which is worthy of putting on the List. Though the old water-tub treatment may be out-dated (and I agree) it does have some merits in UK. We do not have the dry climatic problems and water is a lot cheaper than a Dampp-Chaser system. In the UK this system is horrendously expensive and someone here had a very nasty experience in a music school when he installed them. That was about 15 years ago I suppose and the repercussions made quite a stir in the business at the time. CA treatment has just got to the UK and I used it on just one pin on a baby grand last Thursday. With the amazing results CA produced I then used it on a terrible strung-front(!) back-to-front Eavestaff spinet on Friday. It worked! In my previous tuning session I had concluded by telling my clients "This piano needs replacing!" But that was a week previously. Now, armed with my new alternative weapon CA, I appoached the piano with the determined air of one about to achieve a minor miracle. I took many photos of this odd piano and put some on the List. I don't have a tilter but I did have a willing client to help not only to put it on its back and then on its front (for these wrest pins are double ended and you tune the wrong end and apply CA to both ends) but also to get behind the piano in the tuning session afterwards and operate the Papps wedge for me! As I calculated the Account afterwards and smilingly presented it I had to admit that without his able assistance the job would have taken a lot longer. Two happy people when I left. I shall not be getting a tilter as I am semi retired now. But I do have my new powerful weapon CA! For floor protection I used last weeks' Times Educational Supplement :-) For an applicator I used an InkJet Cartridge re-filling syringe. It was excellent - and washed out afterwards! Must get more CA. Regards from a dull-and-likely-to-rain-today Sussex Village Michael G.(UK) ----- Original Message ----- From: "J Patrick Draine" <draine@comcast.net> To: "Michael Gamble" <michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 11:32 PM Subject: Re: accelerator Greetings from gray and rainy Billerica, MA. A glycerine-alcohol mixture is an "old school" pinblock treatment. Put the (upright) piano on a tilter, and deliver the solution via hypo-oiler at the base of all the tuning pins. In my experience, it seldom worked well, and when it did the pins felt like they were in semi-hardened molasses. Not good. The CA is applied similarly -- piano on tilter, and CA glue dripped in at the base of the pins. If the torque is just marginal, a few drops can get things in good shape. If they're near zero torque, a lot may need to be soaked into the pinblock. If so, the piano will need to "cure" a couple days while still on the tilter. Then, put the piano upright and tune! The fumes are very nasty & toxic so have super ventilation and a gas mask. No accelerants need be used for the pinblock treatment application of CA glue. Plastic sheeting under the piano during the treatment -- you don't want to be buying the customer new oriental rugs. Best, Patrick Draine PS The water tub procedure is also out dated; you should sell them on a full Dampp-Chaser installation. The piano will be happy and you'll have made a good profit for the morning's work. On May 21, 2005, at 5:31 PM, Michael Gamble wrote: > Hello Ron and List > Though you didn't answer the query about "why do you use accelerator" do I > understand that glycerine is aka accelerator? The pins can only be driven > in "so" much, so to use both methods would, in UK, be totally > unacceptable, yet it underlines your comment of extreme dry conditions in > Arid-zona! :-) With uprights one common anti-drying out system in the UK > is simply to put a large ex-ice cream tub in the bottom of the piano, > filled with water up to a previously drawn line, then monitor that level > over a period of time. This is a "hands on" for the owner and an > opportunity to get said owner involved in the maintenance of there prized > posession! Obviously the knee board is kept in place! > Tell me - how is the glycerine deployed?
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