> Grain alcohol is something else. When used >with water as a shrinking agent for flange buchings, I don't think it >matters, because the alcohol is only something to dilute the water and make >it evaporate faster. It's the water that does the shrinking. The alcohol >will have some cleaning and degreasing effect, but not much, especially if >it has water in it. Actually, Jim, the alcohol is the wetting agent that makes it possible to get the water into the wool. I can't imagine Wild Turkey being any different than any other high proof grain alcohol. I expect it was what happened to have been on (or in) hand when the need arose for a magic verdigris elixir, which is how these mystical methods get into the trade - desperation, expedience and serendipity. I'd expect Chivas Regal or Everclear to produce similar results, unless the proportion of water in the mix is a critical factor. From my experience, nothing I've tried works for long on verdigris (about eight years is my best result, and no, the piano will NEVER be rebuilt by the current owner), but there's always another experience that's contradictory to mine out there. Maybe it's time to get volunteers and try one of everything the liquor store has to offer over twenty years or so and find out. Hands? Ron N
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