<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Fred,<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Basically the same message I heard. Thanks for the details. I don't remember him saying that the old stuff was too yellow. The new lacquer they use is very white. Comparing the Steinway vs. U.S. Cellulose I have, the Steinway is a bit lighter. But, the U.S. Cellulose is about 1 year old. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Don<BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Don McKechnie</SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Piano Technician</SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Ithaca College</SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><A href="mailto:dmckech@ithaca.edu">dmckech@ithaca.edu</A></SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">607-274-3908</SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="font-size: 12px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Jun 16, 2006, at 10:45 PM, <A href="mailto:caut-request@ptg.org">caut-request@ptg.org</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><FONT face="Verdana"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; ">I was at Steinway in April, and we had lunch with a factory guy involved in the new process of pre-lacquering hammers (all hammer sets are now dipped prior to being sliced. In part this is to facilitate an even slicing job, in part to standardize the beginning state of all hammers and eliminate the variability of what is done later). He (the name slipped immediately from my mind, though his face I can recall with no problem) told us something quite interesting: that Steinway had changed lacquer suppliers within the last year (because the “water white” from the previous supplier was too yellow – note that the hammer guys take their lacquer from the case finishing folks, it is not ordered specifically for hammers from what they tell me), and the hammer lacquering folks weren’t aware of it. Changed from 12% solids to 24%. Once they found out, they changed from 3:1 to 5 or 6:1 dilution. (Obviously there was an intermediate period where hammers had “double strength” lacquer. I asked. He didn’t want to talk about it and was evasive).</SPAN><BR style="font-family: Verdana; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; "> Going back to Debra’s question, nitrocellulose can be found in a few places (as pointed out by several), though “water white” is quite hard to come by. I was quoted, I think, $30 - $40 per gallon, minimum four gallon case, special order, from my local Sherwin Williams “Industrial” store. The regular “retail” SW stores never heard of lacquer, let alone nitro. And the industrial couldn’t find water white either (standard clear was no problem), until I gave them the specific number I think I got a couple years ago from a post from Charles Ball (on caut list, check archives). But I believe that is purely an aesthetic thing. I hear no tonal difference using “off the shelf” clear gloss (Kadallac is the brand I have available), and the yellow tint is barely noticeable. I have never experimented with acrylic. I have theorized it would be more “plastic” and less brittle, hence would behave differently in response to needling. But that’s just theorizing. Sounds like others have found little difference there, either. Acrylic and nitro do use different thinners in some formulations. Generic lacquer thinner doesn’t work for the acrylic black lacquer I use in case touch up.</SPAN><BR style="font-family: Verdana; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; ">Regards,</SPAN><BR style="font-family: Verdana; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; ">Fred Sturm</SPAN><BR style="font-family: Verdana; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; ">University of New Mexico </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>