Been there, done that. Yes, go ahead and remove all the bad and don’t worry about the tension on the rest of the piano or the plate for that matter. You’ll need to tune it thoroughly afterwards. If you can get the agraffes totally clean and the acidic effects of the kitty pee neutralized then replacing them won’t be needed. It seems to me that it’s easier and more complete if you simply replace them. There’s going to be some residual odor under the plate. It looks like there’s T-pin bushings and so that effect will be minimal. Clean the area VERY well. Baking soda neutralizes the acidic effects. Pet stores have neutralizers for this sort of thing. Wash your hands often. The cat will have to trained not to do that again. (removal, expulsion, BBQ, lock out, give away, electric fence, laser bite ((not invented yet)) all work very well) In one case I had involving mouse damage, insurance didn’t cover it calling it “an act of God”. And to that I say, “What isn’t?” If you haven’t already, suggest to the owner the possibility of insurance coverage. I’d be curious as to the results. I had to spray a thin layer of clear lacquer on the INSIDE of a console piano to totally remove the odor. It was a Baldwin with the wicker panels. I sprayed the wicker as well. Tough odor maker Toughie the Tom thought he’d make his sorry self be known. 6 months after cleaning it all up and replacing the bass strings in the affected area, he marked it again!! I was called back and cleaned it all up one more time and was informed that Toughie was fed to the coyotes. I’m sure they found him chewy enough. Yep!! Someone’s gotta make a livin’ doin’ this stuff. Lar -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20101118/cb7fbc16/attachment.htm>
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