Cleaning Ivories

[Jim_Harvey@yca.ccmail.compuserve.com]

     Bill/others: I just looked up my earlier response to the use of alcohol,
     and feel that, for a change, I may have used too few words. <G>

     Like others, I have successfully used alcohol for cleaning. I feel the
     keyword in my reply was "indiscriminate". The implication was that of
     customer usage, but it can apply to techs as well. More than once, I've
     just entered the scene and been handed a collection of ivories and
     asked to reinstall them. Ivories that were not loose were clearly
     raised at the edges, indicating (to me) that the wafer to ivory bond
     had been undermined via soaking action, and/or the ivories had warped,
     causing the bond to fail. It is here that the customer volunteers that
     alcohol had been used for cleaning. It may have been something *other*
     than alcohol. I can only repeat what was told to me.

     This is a rough parallel to customers who spray 'Pledge' in the
     tuning pin area, then, when loose tuning pins result, assure you
     they've done nothing but dusted the piano.

     Ballard mentions scrubbing pad and paper towels which are indicators
     of *proper* usage, i.e., maintaining an element of control. I have the
     impression that these customers did not have the benefit of any
     fast-drying characteristics of alcohol. They may have just poured it
     on and let the wetting action begin. Or, they may have run the keys
     through the dishwasher. I'm only aware of the results and the
     customer's story. However, (a) I find it difficult to believe that I'm
     the only person to have experienced this, and (b) I wonder whether
     your, or my, or the customer's alcohol is rapidly evaporating, or
     being absorbed through the pores of the ivory.

     Regarding using milk: I too prefer my milk with cookies instead of
     piano keys. Although I've never tried it, I don't think there's
     anything particularly mysterious about it. Anyone who's noticed the
     film that has dried in (what was) a glass of milk will note the
     'whiting' characteristics. When dried, this can be quite difficult to
     wash away. Also, there's no denying that milk is wet, therefore it
     qualifies as a "solvent" in the same category as water. I suppose
     'KoolAid' or other foods or beverages could be substituted to provide
     additional color selection, providing sugar is not added.

     My preference is to clean keys, not whitewash them.

     This thread started with a message ported over from another list,
     wherein vodka was being promoted for cleaning ivories. Perhaps there's
     another, more obscure message in these threads. It involves what *we*
     do to pianos versus what *customers* do to pianos. The current subject
     is cleaning ivories. It could just as easily be (piano) cleaning,
     adjusting pedals, or tightening a bench, to name a few seemingly
     innocent examples. Maybe I'm getting old and grumpy, but I prefer that
     customers just stick to playing the piano. I'll take care of the rest.


     Jim Harvey RPT
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
       Boy that's news to me! Alcohol is my solvent/cleaner of choice because
as I explain to my customers, the alcohol evaporates before it has a chance
to warp the ivory (unlike water). It evaporates so fast that I have to have
the alcohol/felt scrubbing pad in one hand and paper towel in the other so
that I can pick up the grime before it dries out on me.
Tell me, how soon should I be seeing undone glue bonds? I've never heard of
this......Guess I'll have to start hitting up my customers for a glass of
milk (-I'll take a cookie with that, please).