lacquer solutions and airline travel

[Bill Ballard]

At 8:08 PM -0700 8/27/02, David Ilvedson wrote:
>Yeah, what a great idea...and if you get stopped I'd like to hear 
>your excuse to the Feds...

I don't know about you, but at that moment the first thing out of my 
mouth wouldn't be a lie. The truth is not an excuse. The whole truth 
is the whole truth.

With all due respect, David, this is a calculated risk, one in the 
"enormous consequences at negligible risk" category. On the one hand 
you have the clear need as a professional for this material. 
(Certainly you can't anticipate the number of pianos you'll arrive on 
this 6 week tour, which will need it. As a result, you can't 
anticipate the total number of fluid ounces you'll use during the six 
weeks. But let's assume that 8 oz. will get you through.) That 
professional need would include having the stuff ready to use, as 
soon as you first  hit the new piano.

You weigh that against the chance of discovery, either because some 
sort of sniffer (canine or electronic) smells ketone vapors coming 
from your suitcase or because you fell on the wrong side of 
somebody's terrorist profile. Which if you go about your business as 
if it's nobody else's business.

As I said, it's a situation of "enormous consequences at negligible 
risk". I live thirty miles north of an aging nuke, and should the 
event of negligible risk happen, I'd be just as bad off as the folks 
living right across the street from it (whose property taxes have 
been subsidized by it for 30 years). And not much better off than 
those living 100 miles away. But I face a greater chance of death 
when I climb into my automobile each morning. I'm sure you have this 
involvement with "enormous consequences at negligible risk" in your 
life.

The facts of the matter should be no surprise to you or anyone. The 
solvents are flammable, and have been illegal on airplanes for years. 
And the chances of being caught have risen sharply since 9/11. So if 
you're serious in your need to have this material on hand at each of 
the many stops on your tour, and if the risk of getting caught is 
unacceptable, you don't even ask the question.

Your alternatives are 1.) traveling with straight lacquer only (less 
flammable and less aromatic), and thinner it with from a pint of 
acetone bought and left at each stop, 2.) buying at each stop the 
largest quantity of clear nail polish and nail polish remover (most 
likely, 3 or 4 oz. in each material), or simply throwing a can of 
nitro-based hairspray into your suitcase. (Ben McKlveen has a great 
story on that one.)

Are you doing the tour under contract with somebody's management? 
Write them a letter, explaining that this material is a necessary 
part of the service which they have contracted you for. (The letter 
won't go into how you intend to have them on hand for each stop, but 
you can make it clear verbally which alternative is the best, 
strictly from a professional standpoint of getting the job done.) 
Management will probably run it by legal, who will say concur that it 
is a legitimate part of your business.

Again, I assumed that because you asked the question, you were 
considering the primary option. As for the summer of '67, I had a big 
smile on my face which lasted for 8-10 weeks. <g>

Respectfully,

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.

"Blessed are the cynical,
		for they hath made backups."
     ...........anon
+++++++++++++++++++++