Damaged Piano

[Lance Lafargue]

Hey Jeff,
I would clamp the keys together w/straight keys and also down against a
bench top to press from all sides.  If you can run a room Dehumidifier or
put in a box w/ Dampp Chaser, that would work, just keep @ 42%. I looked at
over 50 pianos after a flood once, some in rooms with 5+ feet of water and I
was amazed at how well many of the better quality ones did. If you can
clamp/secure the frame and keys and keep dry you may be in great shape.
You can also apply a chemical made by CRC that closes the pores of metal to
stop corrosion (I can get the name/info if you're interested).  If you have
metal (other than strings/pins) rusting you can apply that. You may also
want to insert key bushing cauls in the keys so that when they do dry out
you have minimal easing, etc.  Wipe the mildew w/Clorox diluted to kill it.
I would also install a dampp-chaser (plenty of watts) hooked to humidistat
and cover piano w/ cloth blanket so you know it's dry and at what RH%.
Again, you may be amazed at how well it does.  Good luck.

Lance Lafargue, RPT
Mandeville, LA
New Orleans Chapter, PTG
lancelafargue@bellsouth.net
985.72P.IANO

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-caut@ptg.org [mailto:owner-caut@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Baldwin
Yamaha Piano Centre
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 2:50 PM
To: caut@ptg.org
Subject: Re: Damaged Piano -- Update



Hi Jeff,
            Take the keys out and bar clamp them, for a week with good air
circulation.  You may get lucky and straighten the whole mess out.

Roger


At 03:25 PM 8/22/02 -0400, you wrote:
>I've pulled the action and brought it to my shop.  Luckily, there appears
>to be no moisture in the action stack (loosy goosy) and the hammers are
>fine, but the keysticks from D18 to F#34 may be gone.  I'm afraid the
>keyframe may be beyond repair.  Interestingly, the bass cheekblock shows a
>lot of moisture damage to the finish, and the endpin is rusting, but the
>first 17 keys move freely.  The keybed is very wet, and the moisture has
>been there long enough for mildew to begin to form (which, in 75%+ humidity
>for the last 3 months could have been just waiting to happen anyway).  It
>also looks like the music desk may have limited the amount of water to the
>pinblock area to just a few drops.  The felt under the strings near the
>pins doesn't feel damp to the touch, and the dampers appear to have avoided
>getting wet as well.  There is no evidence of water seepage from looking
>beneath the pinblock.  The amount of water I described as "standing on the
>plate" was probably no more than a tablespoon in the little serial number
>triangle, with maybe a half a teaspoon near the pins at the break.  I am
>not sure if this is "all that is left" or "all there ever was" of the water
>in the pinblock area.  If relatively good pitch is any indication, we may
>be ok here.
>
>I am beginning artificial resusci...resussi...rescuss....CPR on the keys
>and frame, just in case.  Should I leave the keys on the frame in hopes
>that they will be held in shape by the pins?  or take them out of the frame
>and take my chances on what interesting shapes come out?  I expect that
>leaving them on the frame would significantly slow drying time and trap
>moisture, especially in the mortise areas, making the potential for new
>growth more likely.  But I'm going to start out that way until I get some
>ideas from you guys.
>
>I'm guessing a low wattage (like 8 watts -- yes I still have an old one)
>Dampp Chaser hung under the keyframe wouldn't be a good idea?  I've got it
>laying on a hand truck horizontally with a box fan blowing across it set on
>low.
>
>Jeff
>
>Jeff Tanner
>Piano Technician
>School of Music
>813 Assembly ST
>University of South Carolina
>Columbia, SC 29208
>(803)-777-4392
>jtanner@mozart.sc.edu

Roger