[pianotech] scratched lid

[Dean May]

I've used both swirl and edge. Mostly I use swirl now, about a 12 inch pad
on a big honkin' Milwaukee 11 amp angle grinder. For compounds, I've used
the 3M compounds available at auto refinishing suppliers. I usually use the
Maguire compounds lately. They work well, come in several different grades
and are readily available at most AutoZone, O'Reily's, etc. 

Experiment to see which compounds will take out which sanding marks, then
mark your bottles, i.e., takes out 600 grit marks, takes out 1000 grit
marks, etc. Then you can make better choices when picking a compound,
depending on which grade of sandpaper you finished up with. 

Remember when sanding, go all one direction with one grade. Then when moving
to finer, go in a perpendicular direction. This will really help you see
when you've sanded out all the marks from the coarser grade. The better you
do with sanding the easier it is to polish with the buffer. 

I really don't like messing with poly and don't do a lot any more, but I had
to back in the day I had a piano store. 

Using the helper with a water spray bottle allows you to put on a mirror
shine without going to the ultra fine polishes. 

As Ruth says, let the machine do the work. Don't use a lot of pressure and
keep it moving and wet. 

With machine on, drag the point of a screwdriver across your pad from the
center going out several times when switching to a finer grade of polish.
This will clean your pad pretty well of the coarser compound. If you are
anal retentive, as most of us are, then you might want to switch pads,
keeping one pad for each grade of compound. I personally use only one pad
for all compounds and get results acceptable to me. 



Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802

 


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of pmc033 at earthlink.net
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:24 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] scratched lid

Dean:
	What kind of machinery and compounds are you using?  Are you using a
swirl
type or edge-buffing wheel?  Just curious..
	Paul McCloud
	San Diego


> [Original Message]
> From: Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 08/24/2009 7:17:41 AM
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] scratched lid
>
> I have found when using a buffer that results are improved dramatically by
> having a helper with a spray bottle of water keeping the area good and wet
> while I'm buffing. It makes more of a mess, but the results are better
with
> less compound and no burns. 
>
> Dean
>
> Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 
>
> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 
>
> Terre Haute IN  47802
>
>  
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf
> Of Ruth Phillips
> Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:07 AM
> To: pianotech at ptg.org; rob at mccallpiano.com
> Subject: [pianotech] scratched lid
>
>
> Rob,
> You can probably borrow a good buffer from someone, and the compounds
> you need are very inexpensive.  You've gotten a lot of good advice.  The
> elbow
> grease needed for such extensive scratches will kill you!  Let the machine
> do the work.  You can even get an inexpensive buffer that will be high
> speed, and slow it down with an adapter, to the speed you should be
> using.  You will be amazed at how beautiful it will look, and be really
> impressed with yourself.  It looks doable.
> Good luck,
> Ruth Phillips
> ruth at alliedpiano.com
>
>
>
> >From: Rob McCall <rob at mccallpiano.com>
> Okay, here's the results from my using of Meguiar's ScratchX Swirl  
> remover on the scratched up piano lid.
>
>