Silicones: was Hammer Juice Solvents, Alcohols

[Earl S. Dunlap, Jr.]

Dan, Newton, and List:

I almost missed your inquiry, Dan, and would have if I hadn't seen it in
another entry.

I just discussed this issue with one of my sons who at present is connected
with an industry that manufactures precision hypodermics for multiple uses.
He has also considerable experience in the electronics industry.  

The main problem they see with the use of silicones (silicone not = silicon)
in his present job  is that once the products are present they are very
difficult (impossible?) to remove.  Silicones are frequently used as a mold
release agent on the equipment used to form plastics.  His present company
has found they present a problem of contamination in that their syringes are
used for some extremely sensitive analyses, and the silicones become or can
become contaminants!

I think what I am going to say will fit in with what others have said:  it
should be OK to use the correct silicones as lubricants in some
locations--read that "appropriate locations"--but they are extremely
difficult to remove if they get to the wrong locations.    

As an aside, I understand that silicones were early thought to have great
promise to become useful as replacements for hydrocarbon lubricants.
Unfortunately, in certain critical uses they tuned back into silicon!
(Silicon oxide = sand)  I expect this related to flames and cylinder walls
and/or temperature though so relax.

In technical piano work if silicones are really a problem to pin blocks,
tuning pins or anywhere else on the piano, and especially if silicones are
used fairly frequently, it might be a good idea if pins and the blocks are
handled only with gloves that are used for no other purpose and used to
touch <nowhere> else.  Certainly, it might be useful to keep spray silicones
away from piano work.

'Best,

EARL

At 12:30 AM 9/8/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Earl,
>
>    I have a question for you about using naptha and Baldwins silicone oil,
>(their recepie) to "treat" sluggish flanges. My friend Newton, strongly
>disapproves of using this mixture, because of the chance that the silicone
>will make its way into the pinblock, etc.
>     Baldwin sells about 1/2 a pint of silicone oil, with instructions to
>mix it with one gallon VM&P naptha. I have been squirting it on flanges for
>many moons. Newton thinks I should be shot. Aside from silicones reputation
>for causing refinishing (fish-eye) problems, do you have any knowledge of
>its properties, for example, to migrate from the hammer shank flanges, to
>the pinblock, in a vertical piano?
>
>Thanks,
>
>
>Dan