[pianotech] sand through

[Ruth Phillips]

Hi Chuck,
First, I opened my new Journal today and realized why your name is
familiar - you have that wonderful new series on brushed-on finishes.
I knew from your original post that you were conversant with spraying,
brushing etc. and could work with this material.  The best results for
larger areas are with good quality spray equipment and techniques.  It's not
as perfect as refinishing but saves the day in many, many cases.
For such a small spot, I would brush it on just the sand-through and some
adjacent area so you have something to sand out.  I use three coats, applied
about 10-15 minutes apart.  Then I let it cure for three days to shrink
out.  My own best success has been sanding with MicroMesh, and
some Konig polishing paste at the end.  

>Ruth - The repair is about 6 inches in from the side of the fallboard. It
turned out well, except for a halo of undercoat or wood, I'm not sure which,
around the repair. The damaged area plus halo are about the size of a
quarter.
>What application technique would work the best for the material you sell?
Would I just be doing immediate area with the damage, or as was suggested in
one reply, coat the entire face of the fallboard, then sand through to the
decal? Any other problems that you would anticipate I would face?
My concern is whether I should leave well enough alone, or try to make it
right. The customer dinged the fallboard himself thank God) by ramming the
end of a artificial Christmas tree into it, and the repair as is looks much
better than the rough gouge that was there before. I just don't want to end
up shaking my head thinking that I wished I had quit while I was ahead.
On the other hand, if you think it's a job I could handle, I would be glad
to purchase whatever I need. Just let me know ordering information and
appropriate quantities.  Thanks, Chuck

>P.S. Thanks also to those of you who replied to my initial plea for help.
It
was comforting to learn that I wasn't the first one to make this mistake,
and that in fact there was a rational reason it happened (the thin finish
applied to Yamahas). Upon reading your replies, I immediately called the
local tattoo shop and canceled my  appointment to have the word stupid
tattooed to my forehead.

And therein is the reason for coming up with this material!  You have
lots of company, myself included.  I'll call you.  Best regards, Ruth

Ruth Phillips
ruth at alliedpiano.com