Pianos in the Deep Freeze

[Michael Magness]

On Jan 10, 2008 4:29 PM, Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

>  I think if you put a new piano in that churce, as others have pointed
> out, it will become firewood in very short order.
>
> I think you need to commission someone (me, for instance!) to build you a
> custom fiberglass case piano with a carbon-fiber soundboard, etc. We can
> retrofit a Kawai ABS action to it and get a set of keys made out of some
> appropriate man-made material.
>
> No sweat! Oh boy, I was looking for a new fun project!!!
>
> What size? What color? When do we start?
>
> Terry Farrell
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Will Truitt <surfdog at metrocast.net>
>   *To:* pianotech at ptg.org
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 09, 2008 7:52 PM
> *Subject:* Pianos in the Deep Freeze
>
>  I would appreciate the advice of those of you on the list pertaining to
> this topic:  One of my customers is the pianist for a 200 year old
> congregational church here in New Hampshire.  Because of the very high cost
> of heating oil this winter, the church has decided to turn the heat off
> completely between Sundays.  It's a big, airy church with no insulation in
> the walls and single pane windows.  So, a day or so after services, the
> interior temperatures will nearly match whatever they are outdoors.
>
>
>
> Presently, the pianist is using an old upright that has one foot in the
> grave.  The church music committee has just given her $15.000 to buy a new
> grand piano.  But she is concerned that the lack of heat between services in
> the wintertime will damage the piano, and wonders if the new piano would be
> an appropriate investment given the conditions it will be kept.  She has
> asked my advice.
>
>
>
> Some background about our winter climate in New Hampshire.  Our winters
> can be long and cold.  We can have protracted cold spells where the
> overnight lows can be  - 10 or – 20.  Common overnight lows will be in the
> single numbers and teens.
>
>
>
> I have seen pianos that were stored in an unheated truck for a couple of
> days brought inside to a heated space.  Within an hour or so, you will see
> condensation forming on the exterior of the piano.  Because the piano is so
> cold, I have seen frost form!
>
>
>
> I think the issues that this piano would face are these:  The condensation
> that is the byproduct of the freeze – thaw cycles will damage the finish of
> the soundboard and the case, which may lead to crazing.  Sluggish and
> sticking keys will be a common complaint. Strings and other steel parts will
> rust because of the condensation.   Given that the temperature will jack
> from very low to 60 or 65 degrees in a few hours, I would be concerned about
> the soundboard cracking due to expansion caused by the rise in temperature.
>
>
>
> What are your thoughts?  Thanks in advance for your offering.
>
>
>
> Will Truitt
>
>
>
> Hey Terry check with Charles Walter, I recollect someone telling me he
experimented with various materials, fiberglass etc. for sounding boards
when he worked for Conn organ.
He might be able to save you some time!
<grin>
Mike

-- 
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20080110/4c5114be/attachment-0001.html