> I do the pitch raise anyway and a few extra things like dust off some of the inside of the piano, adjust pedals when needed, and customers are thrilled. Marshall< Marshall - If you would like to add an extra few dollars to some of your tunings, the best tip I can give you is to offer to vacuum the inside of the piano, in particular under the keys. This in many cases has been ignored for decades, and is badly needed. I myself have dust allergies, having worked without a mask for all these years in the shop, and can tell almost immediately when I'm working on a piano that's dirty inside. My sinuses begin to act up, and my eyes begin to feel irritated. The great thing about offering this service, is that not only is it needed so often, but it is without a doubt the easiest sales job you'll ever have. The procedure I use is to remove the fallboard and pull up a few keys. Call the owner in, shine a flashlight to show the debris under the keys. Usually there is not only a layer of dust, but insect remains, mouse droppings, etc. With several keys removed, show how the up and down movement of the adjacent keys results in air circulation - thus dust being released into the air. Explain that you will gladly use your own vacuum (I carry a small can vac in my car) to carefully vacuum the action, on top of the keys, and under the keys. I offer the service for $39 (set your own price accordingly), and always tell the owner that it can be done this time, or next time, at their convenience. Probably 9 times out of 10, the owner will say, "If you have time today, please, go ahead and do it!" Once in a while they will put it off until next time. (At the time I schedule the next tuning, I'll remind them, and it's usually booked then.) It's a 15 minute job, and results in a cleaner work environment for you (plus a bit of extra income) and a more sanitary piano for the owner. It's a win-win situation. Two things to be cautious about. First, of course, take care not to suck up any center rail or front rail felts. Use a dry 1 1/2 inch paint brush to brush the dust off around the punchings towards the nozzle of your vac. Secondly, if you're working on a spinet with grommets, especially if the grommets are brittle, be very cautious about lifting the keys off up and off of the center and front rail pins. I don't disengage the grommets, but instead lift up a half dozen or so keys at a time, and swivel them far enough to one side to vac, then replace them. Takes a bit more time. On uprights and consoles, you can remove an entire section of keys at a time, and set them on the piano bench beside you while you vacuum and brush out the dust. Replace the set you're finished with, and move on to the next section. When replacing the keys, make sure to lift up on the whippen and sticker slightly as you put the key into place. Anyway, just an idea. I put the money for vacuuming pianos in a special savings account. On that account alone, in the last 10 years, my wife and I have gone on 2 Caribbean cruises. Every time I vacuum a piano, I think - Well, there's another 20 minutes on the ship. It's a great motivation for me to spend the time to do the work - especially in December and February, when the snow is blowing outside and the wind chill is below zero. I just picture relaxing on the deck by the pool, with the sun shining down. Take care. Chuck -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20091101/f87403b4/attachment.htm>
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