<html> <body> Hi, Jeannie! At 05:26 PM 8/10/2004, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Horace, Were the jack flanges and underlever flanges also treated?</blockquote> No. When the practice started, the underlever flanges were still being glued; and the procedure would have interfered with that.  Traditionally (that is, until latter day folks came on the scene), jack pinning was deliberately very loose...the jacks being pinned so that the jack would (nearly) flop back and forth with gravity...as long as there was "not too much" side-to-side movement, it was considered OK. That being said, there was, for a time, a custom-orderable "tropicalization" or "climatization", which had parts that were soaked with (variously) extremely thin lacquer or shellac (done before the bushings/felt/leather/etc were installed.  Those actions were most often recognizable by having the keybushings tacked into place with small carpet or upholstery tacks.  In those actions, the underlever flanges were also treated before installation.  I have mostly seen this on Hamburg instruments located outside the U.S.. Best. Horace <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>  jeannie   Jeannie Grassi, RPT Registered Piano Technician Island Piano Service <a href="mailto:jcgrassi@earthlink.net">mailto:jcgrassi@earthlink.net</a> <dl> <dd>-----Original Message----- <dd>From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [<a href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org" eudora="autourl">mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Horace Greeley <dd>Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 3:31 PM <dd>To: College and University Technicians <dd>Subject: Re: Verdigris <dd>Hi, Mayr, <dd>At 02:55 PM 8/10/2004, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> <dd>I think the tallow was used in the factory during a certain period. Gratefully, it didn't last long, but long enough to create many potential action rebuilds.</blockquote> <dd>It wasn't tallow.  It was paraffin, in which the hammer and whippen support flanges were soaked.  This was followed by a liberal application of whale oil, usually during the final "tone regulation".  This treatment was used in the factory from very early on until some indeterminate time after WWII (I've seen it in production instruments as late as the mid-50's).  Yes, I know there are differing opinions on when these things started and stopped. <dd>I fully concur with Jim (infra), by the way...the only real fix for these parts is to throw them away and start over...anything else is an exercise in futility and wasted time. <dd>Best. <dd>Horace <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> <dd>I prefer new parts whenever feasible.  However, there are those times in an <dd>old piano when rebushing might be the appropriate thing to do.  Perhaps <dd>rebushing is also temporary, as Bob Davis said, but if it's still OK after <dd>25 years, and mine have been, I don't call that "temporary".  If a flange <dd>is saturated with tallow, or some other goop that someone has soaked it <dd>with in trying to lubricate it, you can bet your boots I'm not even going <dd>to try to rebush it. <dd>Jim Ellis  <dd>_______________________________________________ <dd>caut list info: <a href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" eudora="autourl">https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</a></blockquote> <dd>_______________________________________________ <dd>caut list info: <a href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives" eudora="autourl">https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</a></blockquote> </dl></blockquote></body> </html>