Hi Ed. Maybe I can help you for once!  I almost always use acetone with lacquer.  It still takes a lot of time to hear what's going on.  Over night helps, but 24hrs still will give you more of what's going on.  I've found with thinner that a couple days really brings things out. Sorry.  3 hour drive?  Really sorry!  Been there done that!.  It is faster than thinner, and I usually like the results. But it's that extra 15-20% change you're going to hear a couple days later.  Have you ever just put a few drops of straight acetone right on the crown?  That'll brighten right up (given that they were dosed heavy with lacquer to start).  You'll hear a difference in just an hour or so.  Still....a follow up will surely be needed to needle out the brightest spots. I really don't know how that works, but it does.  Dosing the staple area with plenty of acetone will also force some of the lacquer up and brighten things up, but much more subtley.   What kind of hammers are they? Good luck! Paul <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td>From: <td>Ed Foote <a440a@aol.com> <tr valign=top> <td>To: <td>pianotech@ptg.org <tr valign=top> <td>Date: <td>10/14/2011 12:59 PM <tr valign=top> <td>Subject: <td>[pianotech] Acetone vs. thinner</table> <hr noshade> Ok,  somebody has some experience with this idea, 'cause I know it has occurred to me in the past, but I didn't try it.       I may have to juice some hammers, tomorrow.  It is a three hour drive from here, so I can't be around when the normal mix hardens.  Has anybody gotten decent results with using acetone to thin the lacquer instead of lacquer thinner?  Would it dry in a 5 or 6 hour span if the hammers got a healthy dose?     Just wondering..... Thanks, Ed Foote RPT <a href="http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/index.html">http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/index.html</a>