<html> <head> <style> .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } </style> </head> <body class='hmmessage'> Hey Now,   Although I have on ocasion posted to the list, it is usually to ask questions or clarifications to someone's post. I have been reluctant to post anything informative or instructional to this point. But....here goes.   It has been debated as to weather Alan Barnard's problem is or is not in fact Verdigris. He has described it as a green powdery substance. Although in my limited experience Verdigris is a green waxy substance, some on the list have opined that the problem with Alan's Steinway Upright is in fact Verdigris.  This topic came up a few months back and many suggestion were made at that time including the brake pad cleaner stuff.   This method was developed by a local RPT named Randy Woltz who claims to have used it for years on numerous pianos without a call back. Using a pencil tipped Weller soldering iron (mine is #7770), after heating for a few minutes,  you insert the tip into the bushing and a whiff of smoke will appear. This is the waxy substance dissipating. Then you re-pin using the Don Mannino broaches of course. The tips on these are threaded and inter changeable. Randy had suggested a specific part # but I could not find the particular one he had recommended. So I got the finest tip I could find and ground it down to about .50. You can get the Weller Soldering iron at Sears, I'm not sure about the availability of the various tip sizes. I found mine at an electronics store. Further if there was any evidence of the green goo on the birds eye I would just touch the tip to it and the wax (Verdigris) would melt away. It adds a step to the normal re-pinning procedure, but if it really works to get rid of the Verdigris permanently the extra time is worth it.     Now, I am relying on Randy Woltz's experience and his testimony that he has never received a call back using this method. I did the hammer rail and most of the whip's on a 1927 Steinway Grand with no call back. However the Client had inherited the piano and did not play. She just wanted to get her mothers piano in playing condition.   C-ya in Anaheim   Steve Blasyak   Orange County ca.   Pura Vida <hr />Make distant family not so distant with Windows Vista® + Windows Live™. <a href='http://www.microsoft.com/windows/digitallife/keepintouch.mspx?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_CPC_VideoChat_distantfamily_012008' target='_new'>Start now!</a></body> </html>