<WBR>David<br> <br> To clean the plate, I remove the action, and using a damp rag, dipped in a solution of Mr. Clean (or some other cleaner), and luke warm water, I push the rag from the bass string area to the high treble with a soundboard steel. I take the rag out at the high treble into the action cavity. I do this a number of times, covering all the parts of the soundboard. I rinse the rags for each pass. When I get done, I vacuum up the dirt in the action cavity. If the lid prop isn't long enough for you to get to the bass end, I use the front rail to prop up the lid. <br> <br> <div style="CLEAR: both">Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br> Piano Tuner/Technician<br> Honolulu, HI<br> Author of <br> The Business of Piano Tuning<br> available from Potter Press<br> www.pianotuning.com</div> <br> <br> -----Original Message-----<br> From: Jean and David Weiss <djweiss@ntelos.net><br> To: 'Pianotech List' <pianotech@ptg.org><br> Sent: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 8:38 pm<br> Subject: RE: Grand Cleaning<br> <br> <div id=AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e> <STYLE> @#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}@#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}@#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} #AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e p.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e li.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e span.emailstyle17 {mso-style-name:emailstyle17;}#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e span.EmailStyle18 {mso-style-type:personal; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:navy;}#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e span.EmailStyle19 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D;}#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;}@#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}#AOLMsgPart_2_5867d5d3-a997-429a-8eac-8557a81bf80e div.Section1 {page:Section1;}</STYLE> <div class=Section1> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Wim, </SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> </SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">I like the idea of the posts cards to hand to the customers.  </SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> </SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Can you please tell me your method for cleaning the plate?</SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> </SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">David Weiss</SPAN></div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"> </SPAN></div> <div style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"> <div class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"> <A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A> [<A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org?">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A>] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Willem Blees<br> <B>Sent:</B> Sunday, March 30, 2008 12:42 PM<br> <B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A><br> <B>Subject:</B> Re: Grand Cleaning</SPAN></div> </div> <div class=MsoNormal> </div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.25in">I've just made up post cards I can hand to my customers when I see a need for cleaning service. It not only explains what I'm going to do, but also includes a short disclaimer. I could do the work in the customer's house, but I want to shape hammers and tighten screws on my bench in my shop, not on the piano, the floor, or the piano bench.  <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"></SPAN></div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Upright cleaning service: $175.00</SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">1. Remove action</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">2. Shape hammers</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">3. Tighten screws</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">4. Blow dirt out of action</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">5. Clean keys</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">6. Vacuum under keys and bottom of the piano</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">7. Clean and polish pedals. </div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Cleaning service does not include case cleaning, touch up, or polishing, action regulation or any repairs to the piano, action, case, strings, or any other piano components.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"> </SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><br> <br> Grand piano cleaning service: $275.00</SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">1. Remove action</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">2. Shape hammers</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">3. Tighten screws</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">4. Blow dirt out of action</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">5. Vacuum keyframe</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">6. Clean keys</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">7. Vacuum action cavity</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">8. Clean under strings</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">9. Clean plate</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">10. Clean pin area</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in">11. Clean and polish pedals and pedal rods.</div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Cleaning service does not include case cleaning, touch up, or polishing, action regulation or any repairs to the piano, action, case, strings, or any other piano components. </div> </div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><br> <br> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br> Piano Tuner/Technician<br> Honolulu, HI<br> Author of <br> The Business of Piano Tuning<br> available from Potter Press<br> <A href="http://www.pianotuning.com/" target=_blank>www.pianotuning.com</A></div> </div> <div class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><br> <br> -----Original Message-----<br> From: Isaac Sadigursky <<A href="mailto:irs.pianos@earthlink.net">irs.pianos@earthlink.net</A>><br> To: 'Pianotech List' <<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>><br> Sent: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 8:03 pm<br> Subject: RE: Grand Cleaning</div> <div id=AOLMsgPart_2_1e68fbf6-a986-43a6-b6ac-b33b22e15486> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Hi,Mathtew!</SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I do clean pianos daily and what works for me is:</SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">ELECTROLUX vacuum cleaner with TWO hoses.First,vacuum all possible dust and junk,then using blower end in one hand and suction end in another hand proceed and this powerful vacuum will do the trick..Few more precausons   to keep dust from flying all over customers living room;put damp cloth on sndbrd around the tail of a grand piano,it works as an arrestor for dust…All procedure takes less then 20 minutes..Vacuum  is equipped with automatic cord rewinder,2 hoses,rags,towels are packed in roll-away wheeled luggage case…good luck…Isaac</SPAN></div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'"> <A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</SPAN></U></A> [<A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org?"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</SPAN></U></A>] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Willem Blees<br> <B>Sent:</B> Friday, March 28, 2008 11:36 PM<br> <B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">pianotech@ptg.org</SPAN></U></A><br> <B>Subject:</B> Re: Grand Cleaning</SPAN></div> </div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Matthew</div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>You've gotten some good advice, but what I have not seen is what I used to do in St. Louis, and something I am going to start doing for my customer here in Hawaii. For grands, I take the action home and clean the keys, vacuum under the keys, tighten the screws and shape the hammers. When I return to the customer, I vacuum out the action cavity, clean the soundboard with a damp rag, using a soundboard steel, clean the plate and vacuum the pin area using a hard bristle paint brush. The most important part of this is cleaning the soundboard and the pin area because that is what the customer sees. One other thing I will do is clean the pedals. The salt air here on the island corrodes most pedals. But all you will have to do is polish them. It adds a nice touch. It will take about 2 hours to do all of this, plus a second trip to the customer's house, so price it accordingly. </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br> Piano Tuner/Technician<br> Honolulu, HI<br> Author of <br> The Business of Piano Tuning<br> available from Potter Press<br> <A href="http://www.pianotuning.com/" target=_blank><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">www.pianotuning.com</SPAN></U></A></div> </div> </div> <div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"> <div class=MsoNormal><br> <br> -----Original Message-----<br> From: Matthew Todd <<A href="mailto:toddpianoworks@yahoo.com"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">toddpianoworks@yahoo.com</SPAN></U></A>><br> To: <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">pianotech@ptg.org</SPAN></U></A><br> Sent: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 7:06 am<br> Subject: Grand Cleaning</div> </div> <div id=AOLMsgPart_2_bd55f114-e84c-4b10-b9f4-6e8b375b8c3d> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>A client wants me to come over and clean her Kawai grand.  This will be my first, and I was curious as to what kind of service(s) I can offer her.  According to the "G" piano works labor guide, a complete grand cleaning can take as long as 3.5 hrs.  When I talked with my client, she had only mentioned about cleaning the soundboard, but then again, she may not realize all the dust that can accumulate in her keybed, etc.</div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>What kind of cleaning services do you all offer?  Do you offer the most basic service and go up to the most complete cleaning?  When I go through a car wash, I can pay three bucks, and all they'll do is hose my car down.  Or I can pay more for scrubbing, and even more to get the wheels done.  I just need advice on how to sort this out.  3.5 hrs sounds like a great service, but I don't know how many clients are willing to pay that.</div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Thanks in advance!<br> Matthew</div> </div> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=1> </div> <div> <div class=MsoNormal>Never miss a thing. <A href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51438/*http:/www.yahoo.com/r/hs" target=_blank><U><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">Make Yahoo your homepage.</SPAN></U></A> </div> </div> </div> <div id=u8CA5F7E3CB2E26D-1364-27EA> <div style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt"> <div class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></div> </div> <div style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt"> <div class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Planning your summer road trip? 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