Clever Key Cleaning Customer

[Pianoman]

What is the brand  name?
James
James Grebe
Since 1962
Piano Tuning & Repair
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Products(
314) 608-4137   1526 Raspberry Lane   Arnold, MO 63010
Researcher of St. Louis Theatre History
BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE!
www.grebepiano.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Boyce" <David at piano.plus.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 3:30 PM
Subject: Clever Key Cleaning Customer


> Yesterday I visited a new client. They have a small undistinguished 1920s
> (overstrung underdamped) upright, fairly recently acquired.
>
> I noticed that about half the keys (celluiloid or some other plastic) were
> very bright and white.  Of the remainder, half were very discoloured but
> clean, and the rest discoloured and extremely grubby.
>
> The chatty and pleasant 14 year old daughter, the one takiing lessons,
> explained that they had cleaned the keys themselves. I asked how they
> managed it, and that normally the safest thing was just a damp cloth and a
> little detergent. She said they had tried a variety of things, including 
> the
> damp cloth with detergent, but that this had only cleaned off the grime, 
> but
> not made the keys white.
>
> "So how did you get them white" I asked, fascinated.  The answer?  Nail
> Polish Remover!  I asked what kind it was, explaining that they usually
> contain a fair amount of acetone, which would be liable to dissolve
> celuloid.  She went and got the bottle and I had a sniff, and read the
> contents. Sure enough it contains acetone, but not, it seems, in a very 
> high
> concentration, and along with many other ingredients. The mother said it
> seemed quite a mild one and took a while to remove nail polish.
>
> I tried "cleaning" a couple of keys with it myself, using a small swab of
> cotton wool and it worked like magic!  A quick buff almost immediately 
> after
> with a clean cloth left the surface with a sheen, and pearly white.
>
> I guess what is happening, is that the liquid is just strong enough to
> dissolve off a very thin layer, the discoloured layer, of celluloid, 
> without
> damaging the surface at a deeper level.
>
> I'm amazed, and am rushing off to buy a bottle of that brand of nail 
> polish
> remover!
>
> In the pic, what you see from bottom to top is:
>
> 1) Grimy unntouched key
> 2) Key cleaned with detergent,  clean but discoloured
> 3) Key cleaned with the Nail Polish  Remover
> 4) Key half cleaned by me, one simple stroke of the swab with the nail
> polish remover.
>
> It worked just as well on the fronts as on the tops.
>
> Best regards,
>
> David
>