too stiff

[thepianoarts]

Hey Tom,

A 1875 Watt hair dryer is safer. It gets the parts real hot, but won't
scorch the wood etc. Fry until dry.

Dan

on 9/20/01 10:01 PM, Tom Servinsky at tompiano@gate.net wrote:

> Z,
> It is my understanding that your hypothesis is probably correct: felt was
> impregnated or dipped in Mutton talc ( I think that's the spelling of
> it....).  I had this same conversation with one of the felt manufacturers
> several years ago,  trying to understand why verdigris had the enviorment to
> grow in the first place.
> According to the manufacturer, it's not simply the felt/brass interaction as
> it's the additive that the felt was dipped into which caused the problems.
> The additive acted as the catalyst to react with the brass which caused the
> verdigris.
> Once the practice of impregnating the felt was stopped, so stopped the
> verdigris.
> One last note....with regards to the heat gun, have you ever seriously given
> the flanges of good heating with the heat gun. Keeping the gun moving you
> can continue to heat the parts to an increasing hot level without burning
> the wood.  I'm not sure if it's the verdigris which has a strong volatility
> or maybe it's the years of center pin solutions in the flange, but with an
> intense heating of the flanges a blue ploom of smoke will poof up. After the
> smoke occurs the flanges become extremely free and the verdigris appears to
> be less noticeable.  My experience with this treatment has demonstrate rated
> that verdigris can burned off off temporarily ( enough) to have relatively
> predictable flange correction for about a year. Followed by  a dose of
> Protek actions can remain useable.
> Tom Servinsky,RPT
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Z! Reinhardt" <diskladame@provide.net>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 10:24 AM
> Subject: Re: too stiff
> 
> 
>> I suspect that the entire action parts (whippens, shanks/flanges) were
>> dipped into a solution before installing on the rails.  If that is the
> case,
>> I should think when only the bushings are replaced, it is only a matter of
>> time before that stuff in the wood leaches into the new bushings to
> produce
>> the old problems.
>> 
>> Last year I came to a Steinway L that was well loaded with verdigris.  The
>> wood in the action parts didn't feel as dry as I might expect for older,
>> possibly brittle parts.  It was one of those rare days when I had my heat
>> gun with me, so I removed a hammer, and passed the flange very briefly in
>> front of the heat gun.  Indeed, it looked wet all over, if only for an
>> instant.  So, I hit it a little harder with the heat, and nothing would
>> evaporate.  Oh well ... but it does explain why replacing just the
> bushings
>> is not a permanent fix.
>> 
>> Z! Reinhardt  RPT
>> Ann Arbor  MI
>> diskladame@provide.net
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
>> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 11:23 PM
>> Subject: Re: too stiff
>> 
>> 
>> Dale:
>> 
>> Why wouldn't rebushing work?  The verdigris, in my experience doesn't
>> permeate the wood surrounding it.  The question there is whether or not it
>> is a practical solution.  My answer has generally been no.
>> 
>> David Love
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Erwinpiano" <Erwinpiano@email.msn.com>
>> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>> Sent: September 19, 2001 8:10 PM
>> Subject: Re: too stiff
>> 
>> 
>>> Dear List
>>> Nothing works for verdigris long term. Not protek ,not rebushing, not
>>> shrinking, silicine oil,not mineral oil ,snake oil or 30 weight motor
> oil.
>>> Been down that dead end road. Temporary solutions at best.
>>> 
>>> Dale Erwin
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>