thanks and it's too early for me to laugh this hard about thebug issues, been there too. I'll give myself permission touse lacquer over the high quality shellac. I use our coffeegrinder to pulverize the flakes and then cook it in the gluepot, takes less than a hour to prepare. My wife thinks the coffee tastes funny, I just say it's an organic formula.
Brent
--- On Tue, 2/15/11, Dale Erwin <erwinspiano at aol.com> wrote:
From: Dale Erwin <erwinspiano at aol.com>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway rebuilds
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 10:31 PM
Hey Brent
Ron isn't the only one who has experienced an increase in tuning stability from design work. I was surprised, more like dumbfounded to discover this value added feature of rib crowned and supported boards. I personally have rebuilt and owned a long A and a now a B that could possibly set the record books for tuning stability from season to season. Simply un believable. We moved the B out of the houst to a symphony fund raiser in mid Oct...... it was wet and rainy that day. The tuning was quite close. We set it up and Jacob tuned it at the event. Brought it home the next day set it up. Last week Feb 11 we showed it to a client and it hadn't been tuned since. Still sounding remarkable. I spent 30 minutes touching up a few details but it was at pitch and everything still laid out well.
AS to Finish work. I have always used one good wet coat of shellac as a sealer, sprayed on our boards. I like that it penetrates but it also makes for a very good sealer for lacquer providing it is scuff sanded first. And Yes, lacquer is waaaay easier to use fortunately! ...and it provides for a finish that doesn't look like every bug in the neighborhood came to have a party in it as do so many pianos built somewhere on the left coast. Actually if I wait long enough for it(varnish) to dry, I can wet sand out the dust and bugs....rub it & its beautiful. However I don't have that much time to wait. I have also had several varnish finishes go ballistic to the crinkle stage with no reason I had time or will to explore. SO I gave up Varnish loooong ago. FWIW...In my mind 6 or 8 coats of sealer and lac. per side is ample moisture barrier for our product.
You asked earlier about finish work. We used to do all the finishing in house....Madness.....now we send it all to " Classic woods" in Van Nuys. Great price and a rub job second to none. Fantastic work.....Ask for Phenoyd. 818-667-9151
The Black pianos on my web site are all hand rubbed lacquer but he does a beautiful polyester too. Tell him I sent you.
Cheers
Dale S. Erwin
www.Erwinspiano.com
Custom restoration
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209-577-8397
209-985-0990
-----Original Message-----
From: Brent Fischer <brent.fischer at yahoo.com>
To: caut at ptg.org
Sent: Tue, Feb 15, 2011 8:43 pm
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway rebuilds
Ron,
The research I mentioned was pertaining to permeability issues , sorry
that wasn't clearly stated. The reports that you claim about increases in
stability are probably design related not finish differences, and are
just as speculative as me saying lacquered boards need double
duty damp-chasers. If I indeed implied that varnish is a determining stability
factor, well, I'll back the truck up on that one. The real question I have
is if you know that varnish provides a better moisture barrier in the first
place, why use a coating with less moisture sealing properties?
Because it's easier?
--- On Tue, 2/15/11, Ron Nossaman
<rnossaman at cox.net> wrote:
From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman at cox.net>
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway rebuilds
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 8:43 PM
On 2/15/2011 9:18 PM, Brent Fischer wrote:
>
> I'm going to take the high road on responding. Research proves my
> point, I'm just repeating it.
Research? On piano tuning stability as a result of using varnish instead of lacquer on soundboards? That would make entertaining reading.
> Proving stability differences is just a mute point.
Well, no. That seems to be exactly the point.
> However, too many rebuilders use lacquer on
> boards because it's easy, not because it's in the best interest of
> the instrument.
At least a couple of techs providing
service to my lacquered soundboard redesigns have reported that they are notably more stable than the original. There are a number of parameters for tuning stability in design and build of soundboards that are argued by non designers and builders of soundboards, but there is ample evidence that varnish is not the magic ingredient that provides stability.
Ron N
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