<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2668" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: =
Arial"
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol=
e_document
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Oh....... Good , I always like to argue wit=
h you
Joe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> I think the thin flexible idea is ... well ....al=
l wet
Joe. If it isn't then I guess all Kawai's & Yamahas sound bad cause they=
have probably 10 mils of poly urethane over them or at least the ones I've
stripped have. I personally think with some of them it's not the thickness o=
f
the finish but too thick of a board and boards with without the
edges thinned or just too thick aboard. That'll make a piano stingy
alright. JMO</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> As for using Varnish, it's a lovely finish if you=
r not
making a living but the wait time I'd go broke. Now lacquer is a=
fine product & well ....I guess my boards will sound even better if I qu=
it
using it. hmmmm? Not</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Frankly I see little wrong with stripping a board=
that's half dead & flat anyway & the truth is if its' done right the=
stripper isn't on there very long & good quick acetone cleanup evaporate=
s
quickly. A good sanding cleans up most other residues &
stains.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Then you can do it really right with =
a good
sealer coat of good shellac (which I known you have)Shellac which
penetrates & gives a nice case hardening of the wood & the=
n
procede with Varnish if you have lots of time to kill. grin. Or spray on the=
right Nitro cellulose over the shellac. It can be built up in two days max &=
amp;
rubbed or polished . Either way varnich or lacquer takes time to cure
really hard & when it does both have fine acoustic properties</FONT></DI=
V>
<DIV><FONT size=3> IMH O All this is really subjective &=
amp;
fun</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3> Dale Erwin</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><=
FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=
=2>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>My reasoning, for this system, is that I want a THIN Flexible fi=
nish
that will be easy to clean and will endure. I have seen boards with TOO Th=
ick
a finish, which, IMO, tended to "choke" the tone, if not completely Deaden=
it,
as in one case of Polyester!!!Yikes!!!</DIV>
<DIV>As for "Sealing" for better "stability", I don't think that is possib=
le
and is not the major concern. TONE is THE major concern, IMHO. There are t=
hose
who like to put multiple coats of Lacquer on their boards. I have found th=
at I
don't like the tone, compared to what I get out of my system.<G> And=
then there are the "purists" that will only use Shellac. To them I say wha=
t
ever flips your Kilt up, but it is not a enduring as Varnish. The secondar=
y
concern is to protect the wood from contaminants and to LOOK nice. The Var=
nish
gives Spruce a beautiful light golden glow, that makes me all warm and
fuzzy!<G></DIV>
<DIV>Finally, Do Not, Under Any Circumstances Strip the Board!!!!!!!!
(Scraping/Sanding only please.) Stripping tends to drive the olde
finish/contaminants into the wood pores! I further think that that sort of=
extremely caustic stuff, deteriorates the wood itself! Just my
opinion/experience.</DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<BR>Captain, Tool
Police<BR>Squares R I</FONT></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"=
>Erwins Pianos
Restorations <BR>4721 Parker Rd.<BR>Modesto, Ca 95357<BR>209-577-8397<BR>Reb=
uilt
Steinway , Mason &Hamlin
Sales<BR>www.Erwinspiano.com</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>