[pianotech] Plate finish problems

John Delacour JD at Pianomaker.co.uk
Fri Nov 19 14:06:14 MST 2010


At 23:00 -0500 18/11/2010, you wrote:

>   So...  after the blasting it's a matter of using some type of 
>primer to fill and smooth. I'd like to hear from anyone who has 
>suffered in this way
>   So the question is... I would like to find a bare metal 
>sealer/finish that flows and fills and sands easily.  My thought is 
>to locate something you can just pour/spray on and let it flow out. 
>Similar to polyester.  Get the idea? Hey any ideas welcome

I had 5 metal frames blasted two months ago, all of them from very 
old pianos.  He used sand -- tons of it and the job was done quickly. 
We protected or avoided the agraffes.

I am filling them in the old-fashioned way and that is with chalk and 
yellow ochre stirred up with French polish (shellac and alcohol). 
You can do it with a  camel-hair mop (brush) or spray it on.  I 
prefer the mop.  How many coats you need will depend on the quality 
of the casting, but two or three is usually enough.  It is child-play 
to cut down, wet or dry.

I also finish using a shellac/alcohol medium, but that's just me. 
Whatever you finish with will adhere to the filler without problems.

Frames done in this way can look beautiful after 150 years.  The same 
can't be said of many other finishes.

JD



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