[pianotech] Ballistol Lube

[Douglas Gregg]

Interesting comments about Ballistol risks. I would like to know more.

I will take them one by one.
Why would you not want to use Ballistol in contact with piano strings.
I use it to remove rust from strings with a scotchbrite pad dampened
with Ballistol. It virtually dissolves the rust and they look great.
It does not collect dirt either. It sure beat an eraser.

The reason you wear gloves when handling new strings is not because of
oil but because your hands may be sweaty. Sweat is both acid and
salty. That rusts strings. Ballistol is alkaline and will actually
neutralize acid and leaves a thin non-hardening film that continues to
protect for at least 25 years. (See the attachment for the story of
firearms stored for 25 years). Ballistol has been used for protecting
bare steel for almost a century.

Will oils rot wood. This is an interesting claim. I have spoken with
two wooden boat builders today and asked that question. They both
laughed. Oil PROTECTS wood in all instances. Fungus and bacteria rot
wood.  Even bilge oil leaking from motors portects or at least does
not harm wood. Between us we have 150 years of experience with wood
and use of oils on wood. None of us can think of a single instance
where wood is rotted by oil. Please, I would like to know what was put
on action pieces and bridges that softened or rotted it. The only
thing that I can think of is some agent that was either very acid or
something that encouraged the growth of fungi that degrade wood.
Ballistol is specifically recommended for the protection of gun stocks
to prevent water damage and swelling. See the attachment.

Leather: Ballistol is a non-hardening (does not become resinous) oil
that is alkaline and will neutralize tannic acid (residue from
tanning) that is deleterious to the leather (and also metal that comes
in contact with leather; ie. holsters). See attachment for more
details. It is recommended for leather and has been used since WWI.

Prevention of adhesion of glue to Ballistol treated wood. I have
replaced key bushings that I had previously soaked with Ballistol. The
glue adhered fine. If in doubt, acetone will take out Ballistol or any
other mineral oil. This is not  true with silicone sprays. Silicone is
used in fiberglass boat building as a release agent to keep polyester
resin from sticking to molds. If you want to be shot on the spot, just
go into an auto body painting shop and spray some Protek into the air.
Silicones are absolutely banned from paint shops because they cause
fisheye defects in paint and is a devil to deal with. Silicone
prevents adhesion.  I once tried to paint a hood scoop on a muscle car
that had been treated with Armor All. I tried fisheye eliminators and
sanding, you name it. It resisted the paint no matter what. I would be
more concerned about using silicones on bushing cloth than Ballistol.
You can never get silicone out of wood. That is one of  the reasons I
don't like using silicones. I have touched up plates that had
Ballistol on them. It did not prevent adhesion like silicone.

Is Protek better than Ballistol. Ballistol has stood the test of time
longer than any silicone by more than 50 years. Actually, there are
references for the use of coal oils that go back to the 1700's for
protecting wood and metal. Ballistol has been protecting iron, steel
and wood for nearly 100 years on firearms. It is recommended for use
on stringed instrument wires also. (See attachment) Silicones don't
dissolve rust or verdigris or neutralize acid or salts as Ballistol
does. As far as I can tell, silicones are popular because Protek has
been heavily marketed to piano techs. I'm not saying that it doesn't
work. I just find that Ballistol works at least as well or  better and
has other positive and proven features. I have found nothing to work
as well on verdigris.

Yesterday, I made a relatively rare call (for me) to see an electric
organ with many keys and pedals not sounding. I worked on pipe organs
for 10 years but hate working on electrics. But the problems are often
the same. The keys and pedals on this Conn make electrical contacts
through fine piano wires that contact a bar that is grounded. These
wires were dirty and likely corroded in that tiny contact surface. It
could take days to polish all those hundreds of wires. Instead, I
sprayed all of them with Ballistol, and in minutes nearly all the
notes and stops were working. The others just needed some exercise and
they recovered too. I was done in less than an hour.

On the issue of damper treatment, it is my last resort. I will use it
on a piano where I know the owner is not going to pay for having me
replace them. As I see it, the Ballistol will for sure not hurt the
strings, except perhaps bass strings.  The Ballistol is probably
replacing the lanolin in the felt and making it more resilient. It has
stopped a lot of buzzing in a lot of old spinets in an instant. You
can still replace them later with no problem with the glue. So why not
use it. I have found that this cure lasts for years and can be
repeated if necessary.

Concerning Ballistol getting hard in a oil dispenser. That is not my
experience. This is not the experience of a 50 year study on an old
bottle either. (See attachment). The bulk Ballistol oil is thicker
than the spray can oil and it may get a little thicker with age but
that is not a bad thing. It will stay put then and continue to
lubricate. Silicones do the same.

See the attachment with many other uses for Ballistol and documented
studies to back up the claims. Just try it, you will be impressed. You
can get it from Midway USA gun shop on the web.

Douglas Gregg
Classic Piano Doc
Southold, NY
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: BALLISTOL.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 80384 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20111112/b1c71979/attachment-0001.doc>