(re: a Teflon post)

[Don Mannino]

Ilex,

Personally, I am not a fan of silicone in pianos.  Some do, though, but the 
important thing to remember is that knowledgeable technician use it very, 
very sparingly.

One way to do a quick key pin polishing is to use a split wood stick (like 
an oversized rood tuning mute) with buckskin.  You can raise the keys and 
insert the stick, and move from one key to the next, polishing the pin.

The Kawai concert technicians often use this tool with a very slight amount 
of silicone applied to lower the key friction.  They also use a simple wood 
wedge covered with buckskin with a little silicone to polish and lubricate 
capstans.  Very often, the aim is to brighten the tone of the piano, 
believe it or not.

Don Mannino RPT

At 06:16 PM 8/26/2004, you wrote:
>share with the rest of us, please? i recently saw one of the Shigeru techs
>using liquid silicon poured onto a piece of leather to lubricate rail pins.
>wondering what aerosol silicon would do, and am wary of anything except
>teflon and mclube since those are all i've messed with personally, and have
>seen the result of wrong lubricants (ie WD40 - !?!?!?) .
>
>thx
>ilex