Brass decal

[John Delacour]

At 10:45 am -0400 7/7/06, ed440 at mindspring.com wrote:

>Anyone on line have recent experience with Steinway brass fallboard decals?
>
>Just got a call from my refinisher.  He cannot get the decal to 
>release properly from the backing sheet.
>
>I.e. instead of releasing from the back sheet and staying stuck to 
>the clear front sheet, when he tries to lift the decal, it releases 
>from the front sheet and stays stuck to the white backing sheet.

Sounds like he hasn't done it before and is working upside down.  If 
the decal is the same as the ones I use then you need to put the 
decal upside down, get a corner of the thick white sheet up and 
carefully peel this off to expose the adhesive.  The transparent 
sheet over the right side must remain attached to the lettering until 
after the name has been properly pressed down onto the prepared (but 
not "finished") fall.  Once the letters are perfectly flat and stuck 
to the fall, then the cellophane will peel off very easily, since it 
adheres to the brass only by vacuum, perhaps with the aid of a very 
light gum.

After that the French polish or lacquer needs to be painstakingly 
built up to the level of the top of the letters or the first child or 
duster that gets near the piano will have the name off in a flash.

JD