Silicone & naphtha

[Oleg Isaac]

Kent Swafford wrote:
> 
> Newton Hunt wrote, meaning to say silicone, with an "e":
> 
> >DO NOT get any form of silicon near a piano.
> >
> >Silicon is NOT a lubricant, it is a strain reliever.
> >
> >Silicon is like dripping a barrel of BBs from the rafter of a warehouse.
> >They will be all OVER the place in no time.  Silicon travels in every
> >direction possible and will get into places like tuning pin holes to
> >relieve the strain between the pin and the wood.  New pinblock required.
> >
> >       Newton
> 
> I think it is obvious that silicone can damage pianos, no dispute
> whatever.
> 
> I believe the most common damage done to pianos by silicone, however, is
> by way of spray furniture polish containing silicone.  When I come to a
> piano which looks highly polished and young beyond its years I can be
> reasonably certain that the piano has been sprayed with  polish and will
> have 1) dead bass strings and/or 2) snappy, loose pins.  Refinishing
> pianos that have been spray polished can be miserable.
> 
> As for silicone and naphtha, I still carry it, and still use it -
> sparingly and carefully in limited situations where Protek isn't quite
> the answer.
> 
> Kent Swafford


I've always hear the same ringing .
Sillicon is forbidden near any surface wich may be re-varnished in the
future.
Of course very dangerous for pins and bass strings. I've tryed a
solution on (little) tight pins, it never worked fine. May be not the
good mix... seems to produce noises.

The sillicon oil used (and purchazed) by Yamaha they use it on jeyboard
pins (with a rag)
I suppose it goes a little in the wood of the key. May be it helps
satbilizating the wood
 Any comment ?

Isaac

In France we have a lot of verticals, as you I suppose. But WE DONT have
any spinets, the "little" pianos are 1.03 cm high withn some exeption.
I am not sure I want to talk of the pianos sold here as it could be
interpreted as publicity for fabrik.

The only fabrication we have is RAMEAU - made part in the south of
France , some in some eastern country.

Since last Year , SHIMMEL (Germany) made PLEYEL, and they aught the
rigts for Erard and may be Gaveau, as they buy the right to sign pianos
with that name in 1966(?) , but since a few monthes , a PLEYEL and a
Gaveau Fabrication is on the market.
The source is the same as above, RAMEAU.
Most of the time i see Young Chang pianos for verticals and little
grands.
A lot of Yamaha too - a lot of P.S.O from China - As we don't rebuild
pianos entirely like you do, many good old grands have been lost.
Good repair is very expensive anyway.
But we have actually a lot of pianos ready for re-stringing. They often
need bridge work, the sounboards are not always very healthy.
Many time they will be rebuild incompletly (i-e only re-stringued)

Most of the time when I meet a re-stringued piano, the strings are not
levelled, and the aliquot system, if any is not producing sound, so I
may mark the angles, adjust the terminations, and so on.
Old tuners often told us not to do nothing to strings. When I treat them
with WD40 (thanks to Jim coleman), some tuners asked me what product I
used because they found the piano is easy to tune afterthat.

I had put a little WD-40 (Water Displacement agent) on the felt near the
tuning pins in case of rusty strings. It helped not to break strings,
but this "pratique" (this way of working) does not please me too much.
Is it hazardous ? WDA says it is anti-static so i will not became dusty
afterthat.

In a few I will wrote in English more than in French.

Musically your's

Isaac