[pianotech] cleaning/restoring tone of bass strings

[Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft]

I must disagree with your solution (pun intended). Tried the Naphtha on a 
piano that needed new bass strings because they were half dead. I ended up 
with completely dead bass strings.

Al G

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From: "Euphonious Thumpe" <lclgcnp at yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 12:09 PM
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Subject: Re: [pianotech] cleaning/restoring tone of bass strings

>   Put heavy plastic between the strings and the case, and blast with a 
> non-water based cleaner. Naptha will do ( and can actually be sprayed 
> anywhere inside the piano, without dissolving anything, because it's a 
> thinner, not a  solvent ) but non-chlorinated brake party cleaner works 
> better at blasting crud out from the windings. ( If you have a shower 
> curtain draped behind the strings of an upright that have been removed 
> from their hitch-pins and pulled up over the keybed, for example, you will 
> see debris accumulate in puddles of the stuff.  Very gratifying! )
>   But I'm loathe to suggest this, because the stuff is 
> D_A_N_G_E_R_O_U_S!!! It's mostly xylene, which will mess you 
> up--BIGTIME!!!
> It will go RIGHT THROUGH 3 layers of disposable vinyl gloves ( without 
> even dissolving them!!! ) and the finger you use on the aerosol button 
> will, in all likelihood, have no sensation for 3 months. And then there's 
> your brain....... Wear, of course, a quality professional carbon filter 
> mask with disposable cartridges, and non-vented goggles, but be prepared, 
> anyway, to feel like your I.Q. dropped 50 points, for at least a  week, if 
> enough of this stuff "gets through". ( And it probably will. And that will 
> affect your work, severely. It also makes you feel no emotions..........)
>
> Euphonious Thumpe
>
>
> --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Shawn Brock <shawnbrock at fuse.net> wrote:
>
>> From: Shawn Brock <shawnbrock at fuse.net>
>> Subject: [pianotech] cleaning/restoring tone of bass strings
>> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>> Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 11:42 AM
>> List,
>>
>> I know we had an insightful article in the Journal some
>> time back about restoring tone to bass strings.  Apparently
>> some of my copies of the PTJ were lost in my move back to
>> Cincinnati, so I don't have what I need when I need it.
>> The problem strings are just a few bychords and the piano is
>> an old Smith and Nickson art case.  The fellow who bought it
>> got a heck of a deal and it don't need a lot of work.
>> We have to take care of these bass strings though.  He will
>> be using it in a professional recording studio and tubby
>> bass notes just won't do.  So other than the obvious
>> turn and role what would any of you recommend?
>>
>> Regards,
>> Shawn Brock, RPT
>> 513-316-0563
>> www.shawnbrock.com
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