<!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 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave, and list,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I tried the Downy method only once, on = my own piano.  It certainly de-brightened the tone the way I wanted it to, = but shortly afterwards I noticed the string grooves in the bass section had = turned green.  Other techs in my chapter said this never happened to them, = so maybe it was just concidence.  Nevertheless, I would recommend = caution with this method.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>just my 2 cents</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mike Spalding RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dm.porritt@verizon.net = href="mailto:dm.porritt@verizon.net">David M. Porritt</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, April 27, 2003 = 9:10 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: lacquer = softener</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Fabric softener (1 part) and isopropyl alcohol (7 parts) works = very well.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>dave<BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********<BR><BR>On 4/25/2003 at 9:06 PM Dave Nereson = wrote:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px = solid"> <DIV>What can one use to soften hammers that were lacquered at the factory?  At first I thought lacquer thinner, but wouldn't that = just evaporate and leave them still hard?  Tried a voicing needle = and broke three of them.  The voicing tool just will not go in.  = Tempted to go to the vise-grips extreme.  Surely the wonderful world of = chemistry offers some liquid I can drizzle on them.  ??  --David = Nereson, RPT</DIV><FONT size=2 = Arial></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><PRE>_____________________________ David M. Porritt dporritt@mail.smu.edu Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 _____________________________</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>