<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><div>Do you "wet sand" with water or something else (like naptha, which is what I use, with silicon-carbide paper,<br />usually 320 grit --- and, yes, doing it outside and while wearing a carbon-filter respirator). I am having difficulty understanding how water could be used, without the old finish "clouding" .<br /><br />Thumpe</div></td></tr></table> <div id="_origMsg_">
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Douglas Gregg <classicpianodoc@gmail.com>; <br>
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<pianotech@ptg.org>; <br>
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Re: [pianotech] Ny Times article on pianos <br>
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Wed, Aug 1, 2012 2:51:44 PM <br>
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<td valign="top" style="font:inherit;">From: Douglas Gregg <<a ymailto="mailto:classicdoc@gmail.com" href="javascript:return">classicdoc@gmail.com</a>><BR>To: <a ymailto="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" href="javascript:return">pianotech@ptg.org</a><BR>Cc:<BR>Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:56:25 -0400<BR>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Ny Times article on pianos<BR>Dean,<BR>I am not sure which finishes you are referring to as old soft<BR>finishes. If that includes shellac, lacquer, or varnish from 50-75<BR>years ago, the answer is yes. I don't work much with polyester pianos.<BR>Most of the pianos are from 1920 to 1955. That pre-dates polyester.<BR>The Scrubbing Bubbles does not soften the finish unless, of course, it<BR>is mostly dirt and hand oil that turns the finish to gum as on some<BR>arms. That, I would just as soon have come off anyway and mostly it<BR>does. However, even an old orange peel lacquer or shellac cleans
up<BR>nicely. The brown nicotine and dirt floats to the top of the bubbles<BR>and wipes up with a paper towel leaving a clean finish to start work<BR>on. If it is orange peel, I first wet sand it until it is pretty<BR>smooth, being careful not to go down to the wood, and then French<BR>polish it. Again, any scratches, missing finish, deep water marks,<BR>missing veneer, etc have to repaired before French polishing or often<BR>after the first coat of French polish so that the wood is sealed.<BR><BR>If a piano just has light scratches, French polishing will repair all<BR>of them by filling them selectively without building up finish. You<BR>can go from many scratches to high polish in 6-8 hours for the whole<BR>piano-and often in less time than that. A scratched upright top can be<BR>done in 30 minutes. You can charge a lot more than your usual hourly<BR>wage for this too.<BR>I think that those who came to my workshop in Bellevue are now
believers.<BR><BR>Doug Gregg<BR>Classic Piano Doc<BR><BR>Message: 8<BR>Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 19:41:24 -0400<BR>From: "Dean May" <<a ymailto="mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com" href="javascript:return">deanmay@pianorebuilders.com</a>><BR>To: <<a ymailto="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" href="javascript:return">pianotech@ptg.org</a>><BR>Subject:<BR>Message-ID: <724BC31D12C84A0AAEB62E62F181A52A@ToshibaNetbook><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR>Are you saying you use the Scrubbing Bubbles on the old soft finishes?<BR><BR>Dean<BR>Dean W May (812) 235-5272 voice and text<BR>PianoRebuilders.com (888) DEAN-MAY<BR>Terre Haute IN 47802<BR></td>
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