<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:ns0="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PostalCode"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PersonName"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue> <div class=Section1> >>My guess is that the poisonous methanol is added so that people should die drinking it rather than forgo paying a tax on their buzz.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Indeed, the unspoken lethal threat on all of our tax “collections” exhibited more self-consciously on our alcoholic beverages: pay or you die. At average total taxation rates now of near 50% how high must it get before we conclude we are no longer free? Historically anything higher than 20% is slavery. But we are so ever grateful for the miniscule breaks we get on those IRA’s. Too bad they are so complicated that a simple inquiry on this list generates a dozen different answers. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <u1:PersonName u2:st="on">Dean May</u1:PersonName>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <u1:place u2:st="on"><u1:City u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City></u1:City> <u1:State u2:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</u1:State></st1:State>  <u1:PostalCode u2:st="on"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</u1:PostalCode></st1:PostalCode></st1:place></u1:place><o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Gary Fluke Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 1:13 PM To: <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Pianotech List</st1:PersonName> Subject: Re: Hammer softening<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Dean,<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Yours is a good question.  Of course, isopropyl alcohol is available in drug stores everywhere.  Most of it seems to be somewhere at around 70% strength, the rest water.  I bought a quart of Denatured Alcohol at Home Depot and used that.  Somewhere in the cautionary notes on the can it said it contained methanol.  Here is American Heritage's Dictionary definition of Denatured Alcohol:<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> "Ethyl alcohol to which a poisonous substance, such as acetone or methanol, has been added to make it unfit for consumption." <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> I used the Denatured Alcohol on the piano because I had yet to learn the definition of Denatured Alcohol.  Also, the precautionary note on the can said "contains methanol". <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> I used it on a piano I own so that if there was a problem, it wouldn't become a customer's problem.  So, it turns out that, on a Kawai UST-5 anyway, the ethyl alcohol works great.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> My guess is that the poisonous methanol is added so that people should die drinking it rather than forgo paying a tax on their buzz.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Gary Fluke<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> <div> ----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p> </div> <div style='font-color:black'> From: <a href="mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com" title="deanmay@pianorebuilders.com">Dean May</a> <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title="pianotech@ptg.org">'Pianotech List'</a> <o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 5:34 AM<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Subject: RE: Hammer softening<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> I am going to try this. Can any of the chemists comment on substituting a different kind of alcohol? Everclear could be easier to get, or Isopropyl. <o:p></o:p> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <ns0:PersonName w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown" w:endInsDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z">Dean May</ns0:PersonName>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <ns0:place w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown" w:endInsDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z"><ns0:City w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown" w:endInsDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City></ns0:City></st1:place> <ns0:State w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown" w:endInsDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</st1:State></ns0:State>  <ns0:PostalCode w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown" w:endInsDate="2007-10-05T16:07:00Z"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</st1:PostalCode></ns0:PostalCode></ns0:place><o:p></o:p> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabIndex=-1> </div> From: <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Michael Kurta Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 5:58 PM To: Pianotech List Subject: Re: Hammer softening<o:p></o:p> <div>     Hi Gary:<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>     This is a direct quote from the Baldwin service manual:<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>     "For a Softer Tone:  A mixture of 25% water and 75% methanol can be applied to the hammers to produce a mellower tone in Baldwin hammers.  Care should be taken not to apply to stapled areas.  The solution can be applied to the shoulders for moderate changes or to the strike point for more severe changes.  It is recommended in most cases not to apply the solution to the top octave and lowest octave since these areas usually require more tone accentuation to be musically pleasing.  It takes about 20-30 minutes for the solution to work.  Fine voicing can then be performed with shallow needling to the hammers as needed to provide a consistent note to note tone."<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>     I've used this solution for years and found it to work well.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> Methanol BTW, is non-permanent anti-freeze and can sometimes be found at farm supply stores.  Its also found in windshield washer fluid, but I'm not sure what else is in there and the proportion of water to methanol.<o:p></o:p> </div> <div>  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>     Mike Kurta, Syracuse chapter  <o:p></o:p> </div> <div>     Mike Kurta, Syracuse chapter<o:p></o:p> </div> </blockquote> </div> </body> </html>