Silica gel

[Joe & Penny Goss]

Susan,
I like Jim's idea of silica gel. When first getting started 20 some years
ago, my wire would rust, due to leaving it in the car over night and
drawing moisture. When I got new wire to replace the rusty wire, I made
sure that it would not happen again by soaking the wire in 30 weight motor
oil. No more rusty wire, even though it is always in the car and subject to
the elements,
But it is a little messy to handle and causes all labels to fall off. To
keep the wire organized it is kept in a 24" plastic tool case with all my
stringing tools in the tray and the wire underneath in canisters. Stickers
labeling the wire need to be attached to the tool case as they come loose
from the canisters because of the oil



> Subject: Re: Silica gel

> Jim Harvey wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> >I keep a couple bags in my wire kit. This fits the small and 'captive'
> >environment parameter since the container has a seal. Whether it's the
> >container, the silica, or a combination, I don't know, but I don't have
> >problems with rusty piano wire!
> 
> 
> This makes me curious, Jim. Although my piano wire lives in an old
> Samsonite overnight bag in the car in this rainy climate, and has no
silica
> gel in with it, I don't have trouble with rusty wire, either, although
the
> spools rust quite a bit. 
> 
> Do the manufacturers put a light coating of some kind, like grease, on
the
> wire? I know that the wire certainly isn't stainless steel. Might it be
> best to avoid vigorous cleaning of wire in pianos near the ocean, since
it
> might remove whatever this is?
> 
> Susan
> 
>  
> 
> Susan Kline
> P.O. Box 1651
> Philomath, OR 97370
> skline@proaxis.com		
> 
>