[CAUT] Critter-damaged punchings

[Annie Grieshop]

Israel,

Put the new punchings in a cloth or mesh bag, toss the bag in a
clothesdryer, and let it tumble for 15-20 minutes.  That will certainly kill
any larvae and probably do in the eggs, as well, without any chemicals at
all.  Heat would guarantee the eggs are killed (and it shouldn't harm the
punchings -- try it with a few to find out), but even cold-air tumbling will
probably do a thorough job on them.

The bag does need to get thrown around inside the dryer, so you might have
to add tennis balls or tennis shoes (the same procedure as fluffing a down
comforter).

>From your description, my guess is the damage was done before the pianos
left the factory and is not an ongoing problem.  But better to have some
extra insurance.

Annie Grieshop

> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf Of
> Israel Stein
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 9:39 AM
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: [CAUT] Critter-damaged punchings
>
>
> At 11:01 AM 5/11/2007, James Ellis wrote:
> >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
>
>
> Jim,
>
> Thanks for the information. We found the problem in several pianos -
> but only in Asian ones: Yamahas and the Korean Kohler & Campbells,
> all about 10 years old. No problems with American pianos - and we do
> have lots of much older Steinways, Baldwins, Wurlitzers and Everetts
> at the school. So we suspect that the critters are imported with the
> pianos from the source country and are not a local infestation. I
> hear that this is common. Since there are no wool furnishings around
> here - curtains, stuffed chairs, carpets, etc. - I don't see how
> these critters would spread from piano to piano. Add I don't see
> moths flying around. But then there is the theater department on the
> other end of the building - costume shop, wardrobe, prop storage...
> Hmm...  Maybe I should check with them about moth damage in their stuff...
>
> Yamaha sent us a bunch of replacement punchings free - but I hesitate
> to put them in pianos, since they might be the source of the
> infestation... Maybe fumigating them with or dipping them in one of
> the suggested substances before use might be a good idea?
>
> Israel Stein.
>
>
>
>
>