Brash Failure / cedar shanks

[Gevaert Pierre]

Hi Isaac,

 

That makes sense. Last year i’ve been cleaning about fifty old uprights for
the museum where I work and a lot of these had the felt eaten by moths.

I didn’t notice if the pianos with cedar shanks were less or not
contaminated, but I’ll look for this in the next pianos that i’ll have to
clean. 30 uprights and about 60 squares to come !!) What i’ve noticed is
that the pianos with a lot of broken shanks are often these with cedar
shanks.

 

 

Pierre 

 

-----Message d'origine-----
De : pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] De la part
de Isaac Sadigursky
Envoyé : dimanche 20 août 2006 23:53
À : 'Pianotech List'
Objet : RE: Brash Failure / cedar shanks

 

Hi,Pierre!  The rumors I had heard in the classes are that Cedar is a

natural moth fighter. The proof of that is:drawers in the old furniture

dressers are made from cedar.Cedar shavings are available at the hardware

stores in packages to fight moth in the closets.Things had changed since

1936 introduction of chemicals injected in the felts to fight the moth

infestation in pianos.Just my 2 kopeks of info..  Regards... Isaac

 

-----Original Message-----

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf

Of Ron Nossaman

Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 9:10 AM

To: Pianotech List

Subject: Re: Brash Failure / cedar shanks

 

 

> I suppose one of the reasons cedar was used for shanks in older pianos 

> was for a question of weight ?

> 

> Pierre

 

 

That makes sense. And they didn't expect the pianos to last 

longer than cedar shingled roofs (20-30 years), so it probably 

wasn't an unreasonable choice in that context. It's only since 

the cheap, disposable 1950s (when anything old was considered 

trash) that we're left with very little from that time 

(because so much of what was produced in the 50s WAS trash), 

that the surviving old stuff has taken on the mystic glow of 

presumed immortality that the manufacturer never intended.

 

Speculation, I know.

 

Ron N

 

 

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