[CAUT] Care and feeding of stage grands

[Joel A. Jones]

Ed,

I will offer a simple fix to the problem of having lids removed with out
permission.

The simple fix I initiated was:
	1. put the pins in the hinges.
	2. take the tip of the pin with channel locks.
	3. break the tip off of the pin.
		a. A hacksaw makes an effective cut too.

The pin can still be removed, but you need a hammer and a small
punch to drive it out.  Surprisingly you will know about who, when, and
why the lids are coming off.  :-)  (big grin)

However, be prepared to be called to several faculty meetings to  
explain and
defend this solution.   It is worth every minute.

  Several times I have had this experience of opening the lid and  
feeling the lid slip
away to the floor.    Once it actually happened in the middle of a  
concerto
concert narrowly missing the concertmaster.  I still open the lid of  
every
grand slowly and give it a small shake before going to full stick.


Joel
Joel Jones, RPT
Madison, WI

On Jan 19, 2008, at 1:41 PM, A440A at aol.com wrote:

>  Kent asks:
> << >I have a couple questions about maintaining concert pianos on  
> stages  at
>
>> universities.
>
>>
>
>> 1) Do you have a policy about the touch-up of finish damage?  Does  
>> anyone
> touch-up as  needed? Or
>
>> perhaps annually? Never?<
>
>             At Vanderbilt, the 5 year old piano is still nice,the 28  
> year old
> D is beat up fairly severely.  We have  touch up done about 10-15  
> years into
> the use, and a refinish about every three decades.  I think I lightly  
> oiled
> the case of the new one when it was delivered, and it hasn't shown the
> fingerprints as badly as one of those dry matte finishes do.
>
>
>> 2) Do you have a policy on removing lids?<
>
>       Oh yes, I do.  However, the students and faculty don't, so our  
> pianos
> are sometimes sitting there topless without me having a clue.  I am  
> not being
> paid to enforce rules, just to repair the damage.
>
>> There is also a history of  damage being
>
>> done while removing and replacing grand piano lids. >>
>
>        The greatest harm I ever saw was done when only the middle  
> hinge pin
> was in.  The first time the lid was opened and put on the long stick,  
> it
> pivoted on the pin, breaking the prop stick, smashing the music desk  
> and scratching
> everything in the path as it twisted and ripped the pin and screws out  
> of the
> rim.  Great fun, lots of shouting etc.
>
> Ed Foote RPT
> http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
> www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
>  <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Start the year off right.  Easy ways to  
> stay
> in shape.<BR>
> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise? 
> NCID=aolcmp00300000002489</HTML>
>