Confessions of a klutz

[JElving@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-03-14 08:58:43 EST, WallyTS@compuserve.com (wtscherer)
writes:

<< 2. When moving the piano away from the wall, I scratched it with my belt
 buckle. Remedy? Look sloppy and leave my shirttail out? Don't wear a belt?
 >>

Check your local (or catalog) uniform shop and get a belt made for auto
mechanics. It has a leather cover over the buckle so they won't scratch your
car when *servicing* (foreign word, now) your car. You may have to check with
you local service station owner. Some of those large oil companies make them
available to their employees.

<<In NONE of these cases did I mention it to the owner. Would you?>>

If I did it, yes I would tell the customer. The good will it accomplishes is
worth more than the cost of the repair. And the bad will when the customer
finds it later will also cost more than the repair in the long run, what with
a lost customer and all the *word-of-mouth* advertising that they do either
way. I have even payed for damage that I knew that I didn't do, just to keep
my good name among my customers. (Of course, I have also asked some to find
another technician after I have payed to have the damage taken care of!)

Not meaning to give a crass commercial for someone (as was mentioned earlier
this week), I would suggest carrying a bottle of Cory's Scratch Brite for
covering scratches in natural wood lacquer finishes. It is WATER base so that
it won't contaminate the wood with oil, which causes problems later if you
every refinish the case. Also, for high polish finishes, cary a bottle of
Cory's Buff Brite liquid buffing compound, or a bottle of McGuires *fine*
liquid polishing compound. It will take care of a lot of *minor* scratches in
high polish finishes (along with a fair amount of elbow grease). The other
product that I like to cary is a Tebet Almond stick. That will cover/color
many scratches in natural wood finishes.

Hope this helps some.

John Elving, RPT
Sacramento, CA
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