Hi Ron, List, >Ouch! No kidding. > >Any idea how long the water has been there? No. This could have been going on all summer or no longer than since last week. This classroom was not used during summer sessions, so no one has been using the piano to know how long this has been going on. But mold has already built up in the keybed and frame and keys in the affected area. Front and a few center rail pins are rusty in the range where most of the damage is, and key leads have that chalky look like they've been exposed for quite some time. I have removed the affected keys, inserted cauls in the bushings and clamped them together. At least one sharp stick had split apart at a glue joint, but I haven't checked all the others yet. The front rail is a three piece laminated stick. It is no longer laminated. The center rail may be slightly swollen, but I don't think so (I could raise the keys, but the hammers would not lay down while in the piano -- removing the action was delicate, to say the least). I'll have to wait until dry to evaluate whether it can be used. The keybed has a couple of swell buckles (which could have been what was keeping the hammers from laying down). The swelling appears to have been reduced overnight after removal of the action. I do not have a fan blowing on the cabinet. Since rust has had a chance to build up on the keypins, but no sign of rust is appearing whatsoever around the tuning pins or on the strings, I'm hoping that moisture exposure around the block and pins has been minimal, thanks to the music desk. Thanks for all your responses. We're still waiting to find out whether the university has a source of funds for such a disaster, or whether the school of music is on its own. 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
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