Playing cards aren't just made for poker

[Owen Greyling]

Man, I actually agree with 100 percent of what Ric says. I must need another
glass of wine..ha!
Owen

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of RicB
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 6:36 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Playing cards aren't just made for poker

Steven.

Just a couple of points. Many here know pianos from the inside out and 
there is not a lot that sneaks past attentions when it comes to tricks 
of the trade. Your <<card trick>> comes in many varieties and is really 
as old as the shift pedal I would think. As for your assessment of the 
purpose of the soft pedal, well ... there are those who agree with its 
name and there are those who line up with your view... either way its 
cool. As for attacks for your "unscientific empirical and amature 
methods".... piano techs have been listening heads up to pianists 
experiences ever since we went our separate ways way back when. I rely 
on pianists expressions of experience daily it sometimes seems. But 
there are some established things thats been gone over and over, The 
industry has by and large after some 150 + years of the more or less 
modern piano come to be in agreement on many of these. If you recommend 
something like timing dampers to start at the beginning of key stroke 
for example, you can expect to hear disagreement... because if there is 
such a thing as a <<wrong way of doing things>> in piano work... this 
certainly falls into that catagory. Of course personal individual 
preference can allow for a much wider window of acceptability then 
standard practice... but then sometimes even these are way out on the 
fringe.

I dont mean any discouragement with this. Quite the opposite really. But 
then again, folks here were not born yesterday either. What you 
personally find to work on your piano is dandy. But advice that goes 
contrary to what is known as good practice will indeed get shot down... 
not because anyone has a desire to attack you... but ... well because 
wrong is wrong after all.

And yes.. Ketchup has some vinegar in it. When you copper into the 
ketchup, the vinegar in the ketchup combines with the copper oxide (the 
dirty looking stuff) to form a chemical called copper acetate. When you 
wash it off with cold water the copper acetate dissolves, so you wind up 
with a nice, bright shiny piece of copper. I think that one goes around 
in science experiments for first year junior high or something like that.

Cheers
RicB

    I am presenting this method with some trepidation, following a
    proven successful personal experience. (I am not a technician, but a
    classical pianist. After all, who has ever heard of a respectable
    RPT using playing cards inside a piano !!!!!!!)

    I have another good trick with cards to report, and some more quick
    and dirty ideas but I will save them for later, if I survive the
    attacks from my 'unscientific empirical and amateur' methods being
    tested successfully on my two beloved grand pianos. (They have no
    choice but to succumb to my surgery, fortunately with good results).

    All the best

    Steve

    P.S. Is it true that ketchup cleans and restores copper?