Protecting plain wire from rust

[Geoff Sykes]

Thanks for the tip. I hadn't actually connected the fact that existing rust
could effect tone. But of course it would. Time to get out the Polita.

-- Geoff Sykes
-- Assoc. Los Angeles


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Andrew and Rebeca Anderson
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 5:37 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: Protecting plain wire from rust


I'd clean as much rust off as possible first.  Get rid of a few rust 
nodes, clean up the sound a little...

Andrew


At 04:35 PM 3/26/2006, you wrote:
>Tom --
>
>I have a customer with a 1919 Hazelton Bros. piano that I service 
>regularly that has rusty strings. The piano has had a DC in it for 
>years. I recently replaced it as the tank for the old one literally 
>fell out of the piano. Nevertheless, and in spite of the fact that the 
>DC is functionally correctly and is properly maintained, the strings 
>continue to show increasing signs of rust. Do you think that employing 
>your Vaseline treatment to these strings at this late stage might be 
>beneficial? If yes, how would you go about applying this treatment to 
>strings already in the piano?
>
>-- Geoff Sykes
>-- Assoc. Los Angeles
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On 
>Behalf Of Tom Servinsky
>Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 1:54 PM
>To: schecter at pacbell.net; Pianotech List
>Subject: Re: Protecting plain wire from rust
>
>
>Mark,
>I think that I made myself very clear. Use a very min. amt of Vaseline 
>and work it into a cotton cloth. Simply wipe the string enough to coat 
>the strings. That's it. I also made it very clear there is absolutely 
>no goo or gummy appearance to the string. In fact there is no sign at 
>all that the string is coated. I can
>
>say that after 25 yrs of doing this on piano in the tropics, the 
>strings stay looking pristine. Keep in mind that we also use humidity 
>control within the piano as well. As far as the Protek is concerned, 
>this could be a very good R & D project for someone, maybe like 
>yourself, to begin a study and report back to us your findings after 1, 
>5, 10, 20 yrs. Then we can figure if Protek could be a good additive.
>My studies for my method, as of now, are complete and valid over a 25 yr.
>period with absolute success. Not that there are not other ways to skin the
>cat, but this particular method does work with great success. To date, I
>have never had to go back and re-coat. Tom Servinsky
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mark Schecter" <schecter at pacbell.net>
>To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 2:43 PM
>Subject: Re: Protecting plain wire from rust
>
>
> > Hi, Tom.
> >
> > Thanks for writing. The vaseline idea is interesting. I have two 
> > concerns about it. The more minor one is, are the strings at all 
> > gummy, and do they attract or collect dust? Not that it would be 
> > very much, but let's say, ten years down the line, are they still 
> > shiny? Do you ever renew the coating, and if so, what do you do 
> > about the area around/between the tuning pins?
> >
> > The other concern is, since vaseline is a petroleum product that we 
> > know melts with even very slight heat, could there ever be 
> > contamination of the pin block? I suppose you're using so little, 
> > you wouldn't expect it, but it seems worth asking anyway.
> >
> > Also, I wonder whether any manufacturers do anything to treat plain 
> > wire, especially when the piano is destined for a humid environment? 
> > With so many pianos being made in Asia, I would think that rust 
> > would be a concern right from the beginning. What about the wire and 
> > pins they store for manufacturing?
> >
> > As far as using Protek being more expensive, I wonder just how much 
> > it would really cost per piano? When I have used it prior to tuning, 
> > I've been using the liquid on a piece of felt as a spreader. But I 
> > guess you could just as easily make your oil cloth with (what is 
> > it?) MPL.
> >
> > That brings to mind the question of active ingredients. With 
> > vaseline, it's the grease that's doing the protecting. With Protek 
> > liquid, it's Teflon (presumably). With Protek MPL, I suppose it 
> > would be both. What I like about the Protek liquid is, there is no 
> > grease involved, even if it's more expensive.
> >
> > So anyway, thanks for your thoughts!
> >
> > -Mark
> >
> > Tom Servinsky wrote:
> >> Mark,
> >> Make yourself a small  oil cloth by working a small amt. of 
> >> Vaseline in a small piece of fabric ( T-shirt material). Simply 
> >> wipe the string with the oil cloth just prior to installation and 
> >> the string will remain looking new even through bad tropical  
> >> conditions. We live in the tropics where hurricanes have wrecked 
> >> havoc in our area over the past 2 years. Where most pianos strings 
> >> rusted out due to the excessive salt exposure, the pianos we have 
> >> rebuilt using this methods came out squeaky clean.
> >> There doesn't seem to be an adverse affect on tonal and string behavior
> >> using this method.
> >> I idea of using Protek has crossed my mind however the cost vs the
> >> Vaseline doesn't make good economic sense.
> >> Tom Servinsky
> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Schecter"
<schecter at pacbell.net>
> >> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org>
> >> Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:15 AM
> >> Subject: Protecting plain wire from rust
> >>
> >>
> >>> Hi, all. Here's something I've been wondering about.
> >>>
> >>> In pianos with rusty strings, I use Protek on the strings where 
> >>> they pass under the capo, and where they pass through the 
> >>> agraffes, as well as on the counterbearing felt, to help ease 
> >>> rendering. It works, and seems to keep on working for at least a 
> >>> few months, maybe longer. I have
>
> >>> often wondered if there is any substance (such as, oh, maybe, 
> >>> Protek?) that people use on clean, shiny strings to prevent rust 
> >>> or tarnish ever developing? I could imagine taking whole rolls of 
> >>> wire and dipping it in
>
> >>> a bath of XYZ-stuff before stringing, or sponging it on in the 
> >>> piano.
> >>>
> >>> We are instructed to coat practically every other metal surface in 
> >>> every device in our lives (think car) with something or other, so 
> >>> why not piano strings? I guess we could expand the question to 
> >>> include copper-wound bass strings, too, if anyone has any thoughts 
> >>> about those. I'm interested to hear people's ideas.
> >>>
> >>> -Mark Schecter
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >