[CAUT] S&S Key Bushings

[Fred Sturm]

On Oct 31, 2008, at 2:12 AM, Richard Brekne wrote:

> I used to use liquid lubricants  like prolube but found a couple  
> pianos that started getting sticky after a while. Seems to be  
> something that reacts to some bushing material.  One never really  
> knows whats been done before so teflon in powder form seems the best  
> bet to me. Doesn't really have a chance to react with anything else.

	About ProLube possibly getting gummy, I set some out in a bottle cap  
for a few months. Some evaporated, but a liquid remained, with the  
consistency of a light oil. Not sticky at all. So I guess it stays  
liquid (good for not getting hard and making the felt hard), and I  
feel pretty confident it doesn't get gummy itself. As to whether the  
solvent might stir up something else that was in the felt, or react to  
it, that's another question. I agree with the notion that a powder on  
the surface is the safest bet.

Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu