<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Re: Why NOT to polish bass strings.......</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252" /> </head> <body style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space"> <p>Anyone ever try a solvent in an ultrasonic cleaner? Hey, it's supposed to work for dentures and jewelry ....<br /><br />Alan Barnard<br />Salem, MO<br /><br /></p> <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; border-left: #000000 3px solid; padding-top: 5px"> <hr />Original message<br />From: "David Andersen" <david@davidandersenpianos.com> </david@davidandersenpianos.com><br />To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech@ptg.org> </pianotech@ptg.org><br />Received: 6/28/2007 12:26:29 PM<br />Subject: Re: Why NOT to polish bass strings.......<br /><br /> <p align="left"><br /></p> <div>On Jun 28, 2007, at 8:50 AM, <a href="mailto:reggaepass@aol.com">reggaepass@aol.com</a> wrote:</div> <div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div> <blockquote type="cite"> <p style="margin: 0px"><font style="font: 16px Helvetica" face="Helvetica" size="5">P. S. Replacing the bass strings was expensive.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>The upside to this tale is that we decided to restring the entire instrument (which I had never done on a piano this "young").<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>The only thing we did while the strings were off was to spend a few minutes polishing the capo bar.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>WOW, what a difference for the better that made!<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>Who would have thunk it?<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>Not me, at least not prior to that experience.</font></p> <p style="margin: 0px"><font style="font: 16px Helvetica" face="Helvetica" size="5">ae</font></p> </blockquote> <div><br /></div> <div>Tha capo area tone can undergo a radical positive change with proper profiling and polishing; many times we just restring the capo area (the top two treble sections) on a performance piano---and "V-out" the capo bar---file it to make the termination area narrower---and then polish it to make sure the string cuts in the soft metal are gone.</div> <div>Lift, level, and stabilize the new strings, and the piano sings in the money area---the Holy Grail of every good player.</div> <div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div> <div>David "Always an Apprentice" Andersen  </div><br /> </div> </body> </html>