<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=4> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Terry;</FONT></P> <P>I would much rather absorb and share piano technology than explain my = philosophy. But, to assure my friends on the list that I don’t do = piano work for nothing, please understand this. I am a charter member of this PTG and I = could never repay it (the Guild) for what it has given me. As a WW II merchant = marine veteran I also could never repay this country for the opportunity it has = given me. Therefor, I have donated thousands of hours of time and money to = this Liberty ship project. I am also an active crew member on the ship = working as an oiler on the massive triple expansion steam engine. Do I make a profit? = You bet I do! In my 53 years of piano service in the Washington, D.C. area I can = assure you I have done very well. Profit is the bottom line. Having owned three = retail full line music stores for over 30 years, along with my piano service = business, profit was what it was all about. No piano technician should ever give = his or her service ignoring the bottom line. Let me assure all that trying to = restore life to a piano that is unworthy of our talent is not going to be a = profitable venture. This 1893 57" upright Knabe piano should have been junked. = Maybe salvage the rare action and fancy case parts. But I would never have = devoted my waning hours had it not have been for a good cause. I think we should = always be careful what big jobs on junk pianos we undertake, lest they return to = bite us in the stern. (That's the back end)</P> <P>Now, let’s get back to butts and flanges.</P> <P>Carlos Ralon, RPT</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>