Thanks David. I will consider your suggestions. Now let me come at this by saying that in the default condition chips and ripples are unavoidable. Those of you for whom this is not the rule, please weigh in. But given chips that now require touch up, how do you proceed? I have never been happy with this kind of touch up, especially in the web area where you are now working around new pins and coils. In any case, all I have really been able to do is brush in some gold lacquer, but this doesn't fill the chip, it just colors it. A bondo patch will require sanding which will scuff the plate beyond the small localized repair, and now things can go from bad to worse. Joe Garrett writes: I have become quite good at repairing the chips. Nick writes: Ok, Joe, now you've done it! How about some tips on chips and dips? Nick Gravagne, RPT Piano Technicians Guild Member Society Manufacturing Engineers Voice Mail 928-476-4143 _____ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Love Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 9:29 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] finishing a plate I use a very light coat of primer. Only enough to seal the bondo areas really and give a nice flat uniform color so that I can more easily see any chips or scratches I missed. I agree that generally it's better to keep the finish on the thick enough to get good coverage but otherwise on the thinner side. When you add the clear topcoat it can get too thick and take awhile to really harden so as not to get marred when you lay on plate hardware. Think about it, after refinishing a case it's usually advisable not to move the piano for at least 3 weeks unless you want blanket imprints in the finish. So, it's best, if possible, to let the plate finish harden for similar length of time before you start the stringing process especially if you have individual aliquots. Production schedules often make that difficult but if it can be planned that way it's better. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100226/c34a9f5c/attachment-0001.htm>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC