Whippen Cleaning

[gordon stelter]

--- Robin Hufford <hufford1@airmail.net> wrote:
> Gordon Stelter,
>      The spare Chickering Whippens I got from you
> were amazingly clean,
> including the  pinning.  I know you have mentioned
> your treatment of
> them here at some other time, which I, unfortunately
> missed.  Would you
> reiterate this process?
> Thanks Robin Hufford

Dear Robin,
     Thank you for inquiring as to the method of 
cleaning which was used on these whippens. It is a 
radical method which may seem very hard to accept, but
I have found it extremely useful: especially on
obsolete parts.
     I first tried this on the action of a gorgeous
1883 Weber rosewood upright which a rat had died in.
The piano was not salvageable: at least I would not
feel comfortable ever selling it! So I experimented on
the very black, smelly and filthy action before
discarding it.
     Essentially, this method involves use of the very
highly concentrated soaps which have recently come on
the market, such as: "Purple Stuff", "Purple Power",
"Super Stuff", and etc., which are generally sold as
engine degreasers in auto parts stores.( Do NOT use
"Greased Lightning", as it will make everything smell
like dog urine, forever!!! ) But I get mine 75% off at
an automotive paint store. WARNING!!! THIS STUFF IS
STRONG!!!!!! The strongest types will eat your skin
very quickly if allowed to sit, so go "Full Bug" with
a face shield, carbon filter mask, rubber gloves,
rainsuit, etc.. A mist of it in your eyes will give
you a horrendous migraine. And rubber boots! Some
fellow around here let it drip on his shoes, and ended
up at the emergency room.
     But it is just a soap. Albeit a very POWERFUL
soap!
     As it currently stands: 1)Get a quart of this
stuff in the spray bottle, and a gallon for refills.
2)Hook up a good hose to the hot water outlet (drain)
on your water heater, and run outside. 3)Take the
action outside and blow out as much dirt as possible
with compressed air ( downwind from your neighbors'
laundry, please! ) 4)Loosen all flange screws a turn. 
5)If an upright, remove spring rail. 6) Save a whippen
and sample hammers, along with other felt samples. 
7) Really spray this stuff all over the action. Drench
it!!! You will soon see a revolting blackish brown
ooze crawling out, dripping onto the driveway,
resembling bad motor oil. This is the dirt, cigar
smoke, cooking grease, coal dust, auto fumes,
flatulence, bad breath, and etc. that the action has
absorbed over the last century. Let sit for 5 minutes
as you stare in disgust and amazement. 8) Take your
hot water hose and rinse, blasting away the old felts
as you go. Keep rinsing until most of the suds have
quit. Repeat if necessary. 9) Dismantle the action
quickly, using an electric screwdriver and laying the
clean, wet, feltless parts on a screen placed atop
four buckets with a box fan underneath, blowing
upwards. By starting with loosening the screws
beforehand, you have prevented them from crushing the
flanges as the wood swells. 10) Quickly dry the action
rails and hang up in a breeze, but not in the sun
which would encourage warping. 11) Flip the parts
frequently, until they feel dry. This does not take
long. And you CAN do this in the sun! 12) Bring
indoors and lay on paper towells atop a piano or
something, in a dry room for a week or two. 13)Go
clean the mess off your driveway. 14) Once fully dry,
install felts in action parts. I use "Aileen's Tacky
Glue" from the fabric store for action felts. About 10
times thicker than supply house PVC, same otherwise.
15) Protek action centers and screw to rails. I
believe that many do not find success with Protek
simply because they are too stingy! Sometimes 2
applications are needeed. Real soakings. The carrier
will disappear from the wood when it evaporates, and
you will have AMAZINGLY clean, fully functional parts
which look ALMOST as clean as new! 
     I have used this method about 6 times with no
apparent damage. Actions were milled from woods chosen
for dimensional stability, and if a tiny bit of
warpage DOES occur, it can easily be compensated for
by normal regulation. Even jacks in balancier windows
stay centered, so I have found. And I use this stuff
for keyframes, too! With a brass brush to really
loosen the filth. Just hang up to dry and don't
regulate for a month or so while you do the case. If
the frame swells 1/16" over its entire length, so
what? Better than a stinking, filthy keyframe in the
customer's immaculate living room.
      Rarely some component will separate if it was
milled from a laid-up board. But this is easy to fix
with a drop of Titebond and a clothespin.  Most
wonderfully, I have done this with REALLY gummed up,
totally inoperable actions which came out with the
action centers very nice indeed!_
     Obviously, you don't do this to 
Mrs. Biffstoneworthington's 1901 Boesendorfer without
practice! And I would not recommend it where quality
replacement parts are available. But, for obsolete
parts ( like player whippens ) or parts which are NOT
available in quality replacements, it is a very useful
alternative.
     Practice on a junk action, and let me know if any
refinements present themselves.
     Sincerely,
     Gordon











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