At 18:03 -0800 6/12/08, Gene Nelson wrote: >Who uses driving fluid and why? What is the most common driving fluid? >Has anyone ever used violin bow resin? I always put resin on the pins when stringing. When I was starting out I was told to use chalk, which is what a lot of people in England still do, I think, but I noticed that the old Bechsteins had resin on the pins, tried it, and never looked back. I think chalk has no other virtue but to keep the hands dry. Fiddle rosin is rather tough. The resin I use is just the plain golden resin I get by the pound from the French polish supplier. This is much more friable and easier to coat the pin with. I pull the pin back and forth over a lump of resin, or vice versa, till it is fairly evenly coated with the dust. Every few dozen pins I wash my hands to prevent them getting too sticky. I have thought of painting the pins with White Hard Varnish (cheap soundboard varnish), which contains similar resin, and waiting for it to go hard, but I've never had the time or patience to try it. I like the feel of the pins when resin is used. At the beginning, when you are knocking down and pulling up, there is a slight "gritty" feel, and when the piano is chipped up and settled down the movement of the pin is very positive thereafter. I have never had a jumping pin using resin. JD
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