[pianotech] poly repair charges

[Mike Kurta]

    Wim:
    I took the class from Ruth a few years ago, its not the class that's 
costly, its the kit to do the work you must purchase.  I did a few jobs and 
found several things:  1.  You must have good eyesight as you are constantly 
filling, sanding, sanding, polishing, polishing and refining the job to the 
point where it matches the surrounding area.  This has to be done with black 
as well as  natural wood finishes.  This can be tedious (but being tuners, 
we're used to that) and your customers will expect a near perfect repair and 
as Cliff said, some are very critical.  2.  If you don't maintain 
proficiency, its easy to lose the touch and skill needed to do a good 
repair.  3.  The filler that is used to do the repair has a shelf life of 
about 6 months and is not cheap.  For these reasons I stopped doing poly and 
sold my kit to another tech.
    On the plus side, once trained you will have work coming to your door 
when piano dealers, owners and furniture stores know you are capable of 
doing poly repairs.  And you can almost name your price.  It might be a good 
idea to check with furniture stores to see who they use to get an idea if 
others are in the business.  See you in G.R.
    Mike Kurta, RPT
    Crystal Lake, IL