Avery: I've worked with a lot of Steinway ebony pianos. Using the padding technique is difficult to achieve a streakless result. I usually sand the finish with at least 400 paper, wet (water or rubbing oil), and finish with steel wool and woolwax. One could also use 3M pads. Padding tends to end up too shiny (as least if you're working on a satin finish). And I've had pianos which were previously padded and were dull and cloudy from age. Looked terrible. It doesn't hurt to try to improve the finish, but IMHO padding is not the way to go. Paul McCloud, RPT San Diego
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