[CAUT] Critter-damaged punchings

[James Ellis]

I'm disappointed in you folks.  Israel Stein asked an honest question, and
in return some of you gave him a bunch of wisecracks - a mountain lion, and
stuff like that.

I don't know about the San Francisco Bay area, but 60 years ago in the
southern Appalachian foothills, it was common for moths to eat piano felts.
 This was particularly bad in country churches.  They would go after the
front and balance rail punchings first, then the backrail cloth, then
various action felts.  They would eat the key bushings after they had
chewed up everything else.  If one found the problem soon enough, replacing
punchings and backrail cloth would be all that was necessary.  Key leveling
and regulation would be required.

I carried an assortment of punchings and back-rail cloth with me all the
time.  After all the old punchings were stripped off, and the key bed
cleaned with a vacuun cleaner, some of the oldtime technicians would brush
turpentine on the rails, being very careful not to get the stuff on the
upper parts of the pins.  It does leave a thin gum on metal surfaces, but
it did soak into the wood and repel moths.  Yes, for a little while, one
could smell it.

Whenever I would find moth-critter damage to punchings, I would strip the
keybed clean - puncings, key cloth, and all, clean the whole piano
thoroughly, looking for any evidence of moth eggs.  If I found them, the
job would become more extensive.  After that, there would usually be no
problem, provided the piano was cleaned once in a while.

Tuners Supply Company used to have a moth proofing liquid called X-Hale.
Fumes from that stuff were so strong they would make your eyes burn.  There
was no water in it.  One would soak the insides of the piano with it, close
it up, and cover it for 24 hours.  No live critters or eggs would be left
after that, and the funes would soon dissipate after opening the piano back
up.

That was 60 years ago.  I don't have that problem now.  Israel, do you find
the damage in several pianos?  If so, there is a common source of these
critters, and perhaps you should get the pest control people involved.
Clean the pianos out, and replace anything that shows any sign of critter
gnawing.  You don't want to leave any critter eggs in there.

Good Luck,  Jim Ellis