Hi Jeff, Sub-zero temps seem to be hard on hide-glue joints. I've heard that the glue crystalizes from freezing (though I really don't know), but notice older pianos stored unheated (sub-zero) over a number of seasons tend to fall apart. OTOH, in this climate, heating a shop to 70 degrees throughout winter would likley mean an RH somewhere around 20% (our soundboards don't spend much time in the hot- box), so if it's not already cracked... Regarding finishing, you would want to heat your shop/garage (5000w construction heater?), to prevent humidity problems at very least. Taking all safety precautions in hand (speaking from the experience of a six-figure spray-booth fire) it's not that hard to heat o/s air sufficient for spraying, even mid- winter. You might also consider an HVLP system that uses hot air, and a thinner with a retarding agent. We always considered three things; product temperature, air temperature and surface temperature, and we made out alright. (We're a good 300 miles North of SD.) best of luck! Mark Cramer, Brandon University > Many of you probably hail from "hardier" climates than I, and since I'm > about to move to a hardier (euphemism) climate -- South Dakota -- I've > been wondering about the effects of sub-zero temperatures on pianos. > Do any of you who reside in cold climes store your pianos in a > shop/garage over the winter. If so, any negative consequences? > > I'm fairly sure that wood finishing would be out of the question during > those cold months without adequate heating.... > > JeffO
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