Silicones: was Hammer Juice Solvents, Alcohols

[thepianoarts]

Earl,

Thanks for the info. Newton would agree i'l bet.

Dan

on 9/10/01 9:12 PM, Earl S. Dunlap, Jr. at dunlapes@home.com wrote:

> 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
>