Thank you for the ( typically ) kindly response, Mr. Nossaman. For your edification ( and the benefit of those who may be swayed by your mockery, and its overall uselessness ) a scientist at the University of Georgia informed me that mice carry 142 known infectious diseases in their excrement, some of which are very dangerous. I, personally, came down with a nasty pulmonary infection a few years ago ( coughing up blood ) which laid me up for 2 months: all from a $50 tuning on a mouse-infested piano. ( Not worth it. ) I may be mistaken: but if someone entered your shop and peed in your key-caul container, I suspect that you'd clean them all, and not just by rinsing with water. You'd also want to remove whatever chemical compunds ( corrosion ) were caused by this exposure, it being a combination of both it, and the brass.. I was a monk for 6 years ( yes, in an actual monastery ) where the spiritual benefits of "keeping our accounts separate" was deeply emhasized. We were not, for example allowed to enter the kitchen without showering and changing, and similarly showered and changed after ventures into "the world", for supplies. Conversely, It is a prime characteristic of materialistic society to just "take the money and run": overlooking simple "courtesies and niceties", such as, for example, not using contaminated tools and supplies on the pianos our customers pay "Beaucoup Bucks " for us to restore ! Obvously, going from "piano to piano" ( which are often astoundingly filthy ) we can not be 100% effective in this endeavor, but I have developed a system ( such as mostly separate tools for service calls, never dismantling a piano indoors, a shower on my back porch, etc..) which largely obviates such cross-contamination, and keeps this crap "outta my house" !!! Another way of looking at it is this: If I paid a huge sum for someone to restore my piano, I'd like them to be similarly considerate. Jesus said: "Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you" so it is simply a matter of that. I would suggest that you examine this urge to ridicule me, and whether it is healthy, useful, or a wise use of your energies. You are an expert, apparently, at building new soundboards. I may be an expert at getting filth and odors out of old panos, so they look ( and smell ) inside and out, as nice as brand-new ones. My impression is that the purpose of this list is for us all to share the areas in which we have developed a particular expertise, for the mutual benefit of everyone. Why can't you just be happy with that ? Peace, Gordon ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433
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