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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm definitely a sweaty hands guy so I keep a box
of vinyl inspection gloves handy, lightly powered. It took some getting used to
the feel (or lack there of), but this too shall pass. I go through a
few sets per stringing from handling the wire. They fit tight and
therefore do not interfere with my work pace or agility, nor is there any
debris left in the piano. It's well worth protecting the wire from the needless
oxidation that results from even the cleanest hands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Jude Reveley, RPT<BR>Absolute Piano Restoration, LLC<BR>Lowell,
Massachusetts<BR>(978) 323-4545</DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=IFixPianos@yahoo.com href="mailto:IFixPianos@yahoo.com">Michael
Magness</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, August 08, 2007 9:49
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Stringing Faux Pas or Not Taught
Anymore?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>In a post relating to counter bearing drag John Delacour raised a very
good point. He was talking about a piano he had acquired from another
tech that had been stored in a shed for a year and how the copper on
the strings was dull, there was some rust etc. His suspicion was
that the person who strung it hadn't worn gloves. </DIV>
<DIV>I recall being at a tech session in the recent past run by the shop
manager for a reputable rebuilder who went through several innovations they
had come up with for streamlining the process of stringing a piano. There were
about 20 techs present and no one raised the question of why they weren't
wearing gloves! I not wanting to embaress the presenter, mentioned it after
the fact, privately and they had no knowledge of the need for it! I actually
suggested gloves or my favorite, cornstarch, I find gloves cumbersome,
they slow me down, especially when handling wire. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Finding gloves isn't easy for me I wear an XXlarge but I was originally
taught back in class to keep a box of regular old cornstarch handy. Pour about
a teaspoonful in your hand and put some back into the other and rub them
together carefully then "wash" your hands in the cornstarch. It will absorb
the hand oils, sweat etc. on your hands. Pour some into the box of tuning
pins, a generous amount, so every time you reach for a pin you re-apply it to
your fingers. Every so often, when you change wire sizes, perhaps, re-apply
from the box. Not enough will cling to the tuning pins to affect anything,
your tuning pin tray will look messy but it will vacuum out or blow out with a
compressor. If any sticks a little work with a small brush will dislodge it,
most importantly your piano that you labored over will not begin to rust
prematurely. The downside is you will have very, very dry hands but I've
found that to be an occupational hazard, along with having a daily stuffy
nose. <BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Michael Magness<BR>Magness Piano
Service<BR>608-786-4404<BR><A
href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</A><BR>email <A
href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</A>
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