Protecting plain wire from rust

[Tom Servinsky]

Geoff,
Another good way of removing rust is to go to a beauty supply store and get 
the Emory covered foams ( 85c each). They come in course, medium, and fine, 
and are used for buffing out finger nails.Get the medium  grade. Does a 
beautiful job of getting the rust off.
Tom Servinsky

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Geoff Sykes" <thetuner at ivories52.com>
To: "'Pianotech List'" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:53 PM
Subject: RE: Protecting plain wire from rust


> 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
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>
>
>