Alcohol/glycerine pin tightener

[Greg Newell]

On Tue, 7 Oct 1997 22:55:30 -0400 (EDT), BSimon1234@aol.com wrote:

>Someone said;
><<I have noticed that most everybody commenting about the alcohol/glycerin
>mix has not included the word DENATURED in front of the word alcohol. I am
>assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that when referring to this maybe they are
>using plain rubbing alcohol which contains a considerable amount of WATER
>which will definitely rust the pins. >>
>
>My humble opinion;
>
>Do not use denatured alcohol. Use rubbing alcohol, either the 70% or the 90%
>stuff one gets for 99 cents a pint at a drug store. The rubbing alcohol
> dilutes the glycerine enough to get it into the pinblock, and the slight
>amount of water in the alcohol gives the block an immediate swelling  "kick"
>that allows one to stand the piano up and pitch raise or tune it during the
>same service call as the treatment.  After several weeks the pin torque is
>even better. 
>
>I work in Phoenix, where the relative humidity can get extremely low, but I
>have never seen pins that showed any signs of rust after a pinblock
>treatment. Perhaps in  Florida or the deep south the humidity on top of the
>alcohol's water could affect rusting, but it isn't a factor out here. In
>Phoenix,  it is quite common to treat the pinblock in an old piano
>(especially a big old upright) about two years after it is moved here from
>another, more humid, state. 
>
>IMPORTANT NOTE ---- I would never use Garfield's, never recommend using it,
>never recommend anyone buy a piano that had ever been treated with it. Look
>for a dark and sticky residue around the pins. 
>
>I use a mixture of 16 ounces of 70% rubbing alcohol to about 6 ounces of
>U.S.P Glycerine, and use about ten to fifteen cc's  (mls)  per piano, almost
>always in conjunction with pin tapping. I do not use rosin, as pianos that
>are in need of pinblock treatment are not going to have jumpy pins anyway.
>Pianos that I treated in this fashion 15 - 20 years ago are still tuneable
>today, as I still tune a number of them.  
>
>If anyone ses a problem with this procedure I would sure appreciate
>constructive comments. It sure works on older pianos, but perhaps there could
>be a better procedure with the newer pinblocks ( that use different glues) in
>the future.
>
>Bill Simon,
>Phoenix


Bill and List,
	I don't see anything wrong with this as it gets a customer up and running when 
they don't have funds for a new instrument.  The only comment I had was that I was 
taught to use Methanol not Denatured or Rubbing alcohols.  I think you are correct in 
varying the mixture ratio as the area dictates.
						Greg Newell

Greg and Mary Ellen Newell
Greg's Piano Forte`
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
gnewell@en.com