[CAUT] Critter-damaged balance punchings in Yamaha P-22s

[Israel Stein]

Thanks all for your suggestions. We are caught between a rock and a 
hard place here. Since these are practice room pianos, in small 
closed spaces, we have to consider the possibility that some users 
may be allergic even to organic substances (such as cedar) and suffer 
strong reactions if we put anything in the pianos on a continuing 
basis to keep out critters.

BTW, my colleague at SFSU spoke to Schaff, and they confirm that 
their felt is not treated in any way and - in any case - any 
treatment fades with time. So treated cloth is not a long-term solution.

So we may just have to explain the piano facts of life to the 
Director, and go ahead with replacing the punchings without much 
continuing critter control. I suspect that the critters hitched a 
ride from Japan and we don't have a local infestation - or we would 
have a much worse problem in all our pianos. Well, we do have a 
couple of Korean Kohler & Campbell uprights that some idiot acting 
Department Chair (since retired) bought a few years ago - and those 
had the problem a lot worse. None of the Steinways or Baldwins or old 
Wurlis and Everetts (that we are now getting rid of) had any 
problems. So that reinforces the Asian Critters theory.

We might take Jim Ellis' suggestion about painting the rails with 
turpentine before replacing the punchings - to kill whatever eggs 
there might be. We can then let the fumes dissipate before returning 
the pianos to their place. School is over next week anyway - and 
nobody will need most of the pianos until August...

Israel Stein