<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Aaaaarrrrrgh, Part Deux</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16525" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>OK Alan, I'll back you up.  CA is a good thing when it is called for.  One time, I did see a piano whose pins were not driven in enough and the pressure bar was not low enough--in that case CA wasn't the answer.  But in general, I wish I had known about CA years before I did!   </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Be warned, though--using too much can be a problem.  I heard of a big, nice piano where the attending tech had used <STRONG>gobs</STRONG> of CA--enough that when the rebuilder tried to hoist the plate--the 9' piano came with it.  There was much crying and gnashing of teeth--it was quite wild, but turned out OK by using a pry bar, lots of muscle and rubber mallets.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>:-o</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>near Peoria, Illinois</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=pianotuner@embarqmail.com href="mailto:pianotuner@embarqmail.com">Alan Barnard</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, September 26, 2007 2:14 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Aaaaarrrrrgh, Part Deux</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P align=left>A recent post said: "... I wouldn't ruin a perfectly good block by using CA as a stopgap method in a piano this new, I would recommend re-stringing with oversize saving the church the cost of a new block. No it isn't the greatest piano ever made but to ruin the block with CA because the tech has no foresight is negligent!"</P> <P align=left>I mean nothing personal, here, but this is going to leave impressionable newbie minds with a wrong, wrong picture. The belief that CA does harm to the block is pure bullfeathers, twaddle, and poppycock and is, in mine umble opinion, based on misinformation, lack of experience, or outright superciliousness. CA in no way "ruins" a pinblock. If you want to restring with larger pins, go for it: but it's a might expensive repair compared to 2 oz of CA. And if you start with the CA and later desire to put in larger pins or whatever, the option is still there and the previous use of the chemical will in no wise be a problem.</P> <P align=left>As to CA not working well in a dry climate, why would it not? It's not "dope" that depends on pulling in ambient moisture, it is a permanent (or seemingly) replacement of the missing wood fibres. You may have to generate a little humidity around the piano while it cures.</P> <P align=left>And what's this nonsense about CA being a "stopgap method"? We now have years of experience in a variety of climates and all kinds of pianos that is wholly persuasive: CA is an effective, inexpensive, <STRONG><EM>long-term</EM></STRONG> fix. There are occasional, anecdotal reports where it didn't work; in such cases, I suspect delamination and/or cracking or really, totally shot blocks in the first place.</P> <P align=left>Others! Feel free to share your thoughts. I'm reeeeeeaally not picking a fight with the person I quote above, I just think these notions are flat wrong and I don't want techs out there condemning otherwise perfectly(?) good pianos or engaging in heroic, expensive efforts to save them--when an hour with tilter and glue bottle can save the day, the piano, and the customer.</P> <P align=left>I still feel bad about the woman who trashed her magnificent 1890 piano--one of the most beautiful cases I have ever seen--because she wasn't enough of a player and hadn't the money to "restore" the pinblock. Her husband chopped it up and threw it away because I, little old ignorant me, told her the block was shot and the repairs would cost such and such much. This was about a month before I first heard of the CA fix. I think it's a miracle-cure, frankly; akin to the discovery of penicillin!<BR><BR>Alan Barnard<BR>Salem, MO<BR><BR>P.S. The "tech has no foresight" if he/she uses CA? What the h-e-double-l does <EM>that</EM> mean?</P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>