[pianotech] Damper tail leathers - cleaning and lubricating?

[David Boyce]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for that. I do indeed know Lanolin! Lanolin is technically sheep 
sebum. Humans produce sebum too. It's a lipid (oil or fat) substance 
produced at the base of hair follicles by the auto-destruction of 
specialised cells in a tiny gland at the base of each follicle. The 
sebum lubricates the follicle and makes its way out onto the skin where 
it has a protective and moisturising effect.  Since sheep have a lot 
more follicles, they make a lot more sebum!  It is extracted from the 
shorn wool fleece and processed to clean it up, for a variety of 
subsequent uses, including in emollient creams.

End of technical note!

I'm not sure about the leather reviver in the link you posted. Seems to 
me its for, like, leather furniture.  The leather on these damper lever 
tails is more like the buckskin on grand rollers or upright hammer butt 
notches, which has a soft unpolished surface with a kind of "napp".  DId 
Reblitz talk about cleaning grand rollers with naptha?  What would be a 
more modern equivalent?  I must say I liked Wim's brass brush idea as it 
could, like a suede brush, restore the surface "napp" without leaving 
any substance in the leather.

Rhum is the name of an island off the West coast of Scotland......

Best regards,

David.

> Hi David,
>
> I would think a leather reviver as in this English site shows. 
> Something that you can spray on and say the work of taking them off. 
> http://www.desolvitshop.co.uk/acatalog/Leather_Reviver.html
>
> I have used a thinned down lanolin, tipped an action on its end and 
> dripper the solution down the lift rod. Worked for six years that I 
> knew the piano, after that ??
>
> You know lanolin, of the sheep's back.  Haven't tried Rhum so can't 
> comment
>
> Tony
>
> Tony Caught
>
> acaught at internode.on.net
>
> 0427 850 737


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