Tom, I've been there with a piano that had a sound deadening problem. Turned out it was the agraffes/string juncture that actually caused the problem. Before you get too carried away with potential soundboard ills, you might just clean that termination point realllllll careful. A little goo, which is very hard to see, will kill the tone in a big way. By the way, the problem and solution were pointed out to me by my betters, Steve Brady. Joseph Alkana RPT ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Servinsky" <tompiano at bellsouth.net> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 7:49 AM Subject: Speaking of WD40.... > List, > Got a real interesting situation with a Steinway B which has been in my > care for the past 20 yrs. The piano was a pretty decent B, even though it > was built during prime CBS years. The board had plenty of power and > sustain and the piano was kept in good condition . Then one day it all > changed for the worse. > I was about to do the tuning when I noticed the soundboard had a very > different amber color to it. Then to my attonishment, there was no > sustain...zilch. It was about that time when the owner's husband stepped > into the living room and announced that he fixed the piano. "Huhhh?" > "Yep, sprayed WD40 everywhere". I almost had a heart attack. The wife was > a piano teacher and she was sickened with what he had done. From that > point it soundboard more like an Aeolian spinet than a Steinway B. > So fast forward some 15yrs and the owner passes and wils the piano to the > local college. Now the college wants the board repaired as best as > possible without replacing it. > Question: Can WD40 penetrate the finish on the soundboard? Or will it just > lay on top can create a residue, which is what I am hoping. My hopes is > that ( once) the soundboard is stripped and the thick layer of gooh > removed, the soundboard will come back to life.Anyone out there with any > experience with this type of problem? > Just for the record I have isolated the problem to the soundboard. I have > replaced several strings and did a pluck test to see if I can gain any > sustain and nothing much improves. I've replaced hammers on those same > notes seeing if anything can be improve. But it still points back to the > thick layer of gooh on the soundboard. Plenty of crown and positive > downbearing as well. > Tom Servinsky > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC