List: Thanks to many thoughtful comments in response to my initial post, I realize that my annual rant for some Standards of Practice was misdirected. I strongly favor technical progress and new products. The perfect hammer of the future may well be a disposable self-skinning urethane injection molded blob, and if it is, fine. If the temperament of the 2000's is the Klingon temperament, it is likely to be proven progress, not regression. I applaud the efforts of the PTG, which have made vast improvements in the level of average technical piano service. I refer customers that I cannot handle only to RPT's. To abrade PTG for not having a complete Standard of Good Practice is an error. A standard that set equal temperament as THE standard would have a negative effect on progress and the "ART" of the craft. It would be anti-evolutionary. For what it is worth, what irritated me about the use of "Snuggles" was my associating it with all the unproved and damaging products I still find in pianos. I see bass bridge cracks repaired with wood putty. I have see tuning pins and even hammers that are as sticky as flypaper from whatever was put onto them. I have seen hammers saturated with grease, and with latex house paint. Who has not seen hammers tipped with tacks or an action sprayed with WD-40? If one cares, one sometimes can get carried away, but it is seldom the best form. This mailing list has done more good than harm, but I do think it has prompted some harm from members that think anything mentioned on the list has been vetted. Perhaps what is more needed is a FAQ type list of "Things to Never Do!" Now THAT could be very useful and more easily agreed upon. I apologize to those I offended by my remarks, for the members of this list are seldom the problem, theygenerally inspire progress. I am, however, still glad I brought up the subject. With all the vacuous bandwidth on this list, worse things have happened. Perhaps my original post helped someone, perhaps not. I still maintain that the application of new products to customer's good pianos should be done very cautiously and with testing and reason. Thanks to all the dead POS's out there, there will always be harmless opportunities for radical experimentation. Thanks for your responses, Bill Simon Phoenix
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