sun-bleached lid

[Farrell]

Golly Gee. I don't think Mark Cramer from Brandon University could ever
offend me. He was such a gracious host for our group almost one year ago now
while we played with soundboards!

Anyway, NO. I don't have a proven method for bleaching out a lid. BUT I do
have a work or two of warning. I have used a variety of wood bleaches in
marine applications. I have always used them on solid planks of mahogany,
etc. The bleach is really hard on the wood. Really blasts the grain out from
the surface, etc. You need to soak the wood pretty good usually. I would be
a bit hesitant using it on a veneered lid. I would be afraid it would just
chew the veneer right off.

If you go that rout, you might try starting with a highly watered down
mixture and use it sparingly. You can always hit it again with more bleach
if desired.

Also, I know it is generally not a good idea to sand on a veneer much, but
you might want to try a small spot and see whether a moderate amount of
sanding will get you through the sun-bleached zone. Often offending colors -
stains, sun-bleaching - don't go all the way through the veneer. Obviously,
be real careful with this approach also!

Who owns the piano? Did you tell them that all real pianos are finished in
ebony???????

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stan Kroeker" <stan@pianoexperts.mb.ca>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 4:11 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: sun-bleached lid


> Dear list:
>
> Not sure what the protocol is for messages forwarded from
> non-subscribers.   If it doesn't offend you, then please consider
> sharing your experiences with the following refinishing problem.
>
> Regards,
>
> Stan Kroeker
> Registered Piano Technician
>
> Mark Cramer wrote:
> >
> > Hi list,
> > I'm having a 1911 mahogany 'O' refininshed. The lid has been left open
all
> > it's life, such that half the lid is red, and the other half blond. I
know
> > you've all seen this before, this is the vintage where the legs are
> > grain-painted.
> >
> > Does anyone have a succesful (proven) approach for blending (bleaching)
the
> > two halves?
> >
> > thanks,
> > Mark Cramer,
> > Brandon University
>