humidity control in concert pianos

Tim Coates tcoates@iw.net
Mon, 13 Oct 2003 08:26:01 -0500


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Using a #28 (or abouts) insulin syringe with medium viscosity CA helps 
control the messiness. Applying accelerator first with a syringe  can 
help in some situations.  Need to wait a few minutes before applying the 
CA if you use the accelerator.  Make sure you use a sharps container to 
dispose of the syringes.  They are very dangerous, especially if 
disposed of incorrectly.

I haven't done this on high level grands, but it works wonders on old 
Kawai grands.   I started with verticals.  

Tim Coates
University of South Dakota
University of Sioux Falls

Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) wrote:

>Thanks Fred....I think I'll  go practice in a practice room tomorrow.
>
>Eric
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: fssturm@unm.edu [mailto:fssturm@unm.edu]
>Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 10:51 PM
>To: College and University Technicians
>Subject: RE: humidity control in concert pianos
>
>
>Hi Eric,
>   I've done a wee bit of CA-ing on finer grands, including a couple D's. I
>really 
>don't think there is anything to worry about overmuch beyond the aesthetics.
>
>IOW, if a bit of CA manages to get in what your imagination will tell you is
>a bad 
>place, it won't have a noticeable effect (this from experience with less
>fine 
>instruments, where I have CA'd entire sections - capo - without worrying
>overly 
>much about where the flow managed to get to, and noticed no ill effects 
>whatsoever. Worrysome places being between string and bridge, and in the
>pin/
>notch/string interface).
>   That said, on the finer instrument, I am very careful to control the CA
>as much 
>as possible. I like to use a very fine end (as in ZAP ends), and apply to
>the 
>bridge side of the pin right behind the string, watching it wick. Just
>enough to 
>wick into the crack between pin and bridge. As Roger suggested a while back,
>a 
>bit of paper towel or similar, placed between string and notch, will absorb
>what 
>might flow over.
>   Controlling extra thin CA is a trick, and best practiced in the practice
>room a 
>few times first. I have had reasonably consistent good results. IOW, CA has 
>always reduced false beating, and usually come close enough to eliminating
>it. 
>Well worth the effort (very minor expenditure of time). Seems to be
>reasonably 
>long-lasting. I haven't been doing it long enough to vouch for long term in 
>multiple years - I guess two years is about the limit of my experience, best
>I 
>remember.
>Regards,
>Fred Sturm
>University of New Mexico
>Quoting "Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)" <WOLFLEEL@UCMAIL.UC.EDU>:
>
>  
>
>>Has anyone ever done any investigations involving the tonal impact
>>these
>>units might have on a stage piano? It seems to me that you would have
>>to
>>lose a certain amount of power since sound is coming off the bottom
>>of the
>>soundboard as well as the top. I know these units have great value in
>>studio
>>and home situations, but I just can't imagine it not affecting the
>>piano's
>>tone and power. And by the way, just as a reminder about how this
>>thread
>>began, I haven't heard from anyone about gluing bridge pins on a
>>concert
>>instrument...it seems like a great idea to be able to stabilize the
>>wood
>>around these pins. I guess I'll just have to go up into a practice
>>room and
>>find out for myself...
>>
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>Eric Wolfley
>>Head Piano Technician
>>Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
>>University of Cincinnati
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Don [mailto:pianotuna@accesscomm.ca]
>>Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 7:25 AM
>>To: College and University Technicians
>>Subject: humidity control in concert pianos
>>
>>
>>Hi Jeff,
>>
>>I've changed the thread.
>>
>>That's very simple to arrange. Take a rechargeable emergency
>>flashlight,
>>replace the bulb with a buzzer and splice it into the power cord of
>>the DC
>>unit. When the unit is unplugged it will buzz for about 20 minutes.
>>Trust
>>me--they will plug it in! I'd really appreciate the DC people
>>including
>>this as an optional "add on". 
>>
>>A refinement to this would be to use one of the many uninteruptible
>>power
>>supplies that are used on computers--I do think this is overkill--but
>>I'd
>>do it in a flash if I could purchase a unit where the "beep" could
>>be
>>turned off for concerts--there would then be no cords needed during
>>a
>>performance.
>>
>>The local University concert venue's here have DC units on the two
>>pianos
>>used for that purpose.
>>
>>
>>At 10:55 AM 10/10/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>If he's like us, there is no way to expect to keep one plugged in on
>>>      
>>>
>>a 
>>    
>>
>>>concert instrument.
>>>Jeff
>>>
>>>On Friday, October 10, 2003, at 08:35 AM, Don wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Hi Eric,
>>>>
>>>>Why no hope of a DC system with bottom cover?
>>>>
>>>>At 10:12 AM 10/10/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>> to dry out it reverts a devilish false beat capo noise monster.
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>Unfortunately, most of the concerts are during the dry months and
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>there is
>>>>no hope of any climate control.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>Eric Wolfley
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>Regards,
>>>>Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.P.T.
>>>>
>>>>mailto:pianotuna@accesscomm.ca
>>>>http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/
>>>>
>>>>3004 Grant Rd.
>>>>REGINA, SK
>>>>S4S 5G7
>>>>306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Regards,
>>Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.P.T.
>>
>>mailto:pianotuna@accesscomm.ca
>>http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/
>>
>>3004 Grant Rd.
>>REGINA, SK
>>S4S 5G7
>>306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
>>_______________________________________________
>>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>>_______________________________________________
>>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>>
>>    
>>
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>
>  
>


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