verdigris question

[J Patrick Draine]

Pppdude@cs.com wrote:

>
> The owner says it just needs "a good cleaning".

Hmmm, that's what my wife said before she asked me to take the Camry to Jiffy
Lube and the car wash. $1400 later, a dealership 60K mile "tune up", a valve
seal replacement job, and I still haven't gotten it washed & waxed! :>)

> I am not a piano technician, so I'm interested to know if there is there is
> an accurate way to diagnose this problem (without calling in a technician)

Well it's kinda like that Camry I mentioned ... You should consult (pay for) a
professional who knows what he's doing!
But as for free advice: yeah verdigris is a likely culprit. Best solution:
replacement of all the moving parts, regulated to as-new specs. Expensive, but
worth it! Possible stop-gap measures: a technician may be able to free frozen
centers by application of ProTek. Aside from that, the action may be badly out
of regulation, and action parts may be severely worn (or wood may be brittle) --
how old is this instrument?
Tell us where the piano lives, and we can make recommendations as to who you
should call.

Patrick Draine
Billerica, MA