Protecting plain wire from rust

[David Love]

I use Protek while stringing on a rag to wipe along the length of the
strings after installing each group of unisons.  I'm especially careful to
get coverage along where the trichord dampers will contact the lower tenor
area to help prevent corrosion under the dampers and inhibit the development
of whooshing.  Since I'm still using Roslau wire (haven't switched over to
Mapes Gold Wire yet) and it's fairly dirty, it does clean off that blackish
film and might leave a "Protektive" coating for awhile.  I'm not sure if it
really does anything in the long run or not but I figure it couldn't hurt.

I agree that it does help rendering and often use it in the same manner as
you describe.

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Mark Schecter
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 9:16 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Protecting plain wire from rust

Hi, all. Here's something I've been wondering about.

In pianos with rusty strings, I use Protek on the strings where they 
pass under the capo, and where they pass through the agraffes, as well 
as on the counterbearing felt, to help ease rendering. It works, and 
seems to keep on working for at least a few months, maybe longer. I have 
often wondered if there is any substance (such as, oh, maybe, Protek?) 
that people use on clean, shiny strings to prevent rust or tarnish ever 
developing? I could imagine taking whole rolls of wire and dipping it in 
a bath of XYZ-stuff before stringing, or sponging it on in the piano.

We are instructed to coat practically every other metal surface in every 
device in our lives (think car) with something or other, so why not 
piano strings? I guess we could expand the question to include 
copper-wound bass strings, too, if anyone has any thoughts about those. 
I'm interested to hear people's ideas.

-Mark Schecter