Sticking centers again

[Richard Moody]

Felt expands when gains moisture.  It shrinks as it looses moisture.  Wood
does the same thing. BUT, I believe wood reacts to moisture in the way it
was "cured", or "dried" 
I cannot prove this, but a hunch tells me that wood when "dried" very fast
such as in kiln drying, reacts to moisture changes more rapidly and
radically than wood cured in the traditional manner which I understand is
up to six years in drying yards, or pens or areas not subject to
artificial heat or dry air. 

Richard Moody 

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> From: A.T. de Pater <a10pater@xs4all.nl>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: Sticking centers again
> Date: Monday, September 28, 1998 6:57 PM
> 
> Dear list,
> 
> I am still wondering about this alcohol/water method for centerpins. I
did
> try it, on one flange only, but it didn't work. Actually, I didn't
expect it
> would, because of what I understood of the story of a man from Renner,
> Stuttgart. He told us, (so I thought) the alcohol/water solution works
on
> bushings which have a graphite layer. In a humid climate, the graphite
> curdles, which results in a tight centerpin bushing. The alcohol solves
and
> spreads the graphite again.
> I can't believe all bushings in the US have graphite layers, so my
questions
> are: did I mistunderstand this story completely or does it work in a
> different way? What about this shrinking business? I can't remember the
> Rennerman said anything about that. But perhaps I forgot.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Albertien de Pater, piano technician/tuner
> Amsterdam, Holland
>  
>