[CAUT] Hammer-Lac

[David Love]

If you search the archives there was a posting some time ago about the
specific solids content perhaps from Schandall, though it may be in the
Pianotech archives.  The best thing to do is experiment with whatever
lacquer you are using and figure it out.

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred
Sturm
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:56 PM
To: College & University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Hammer-Lac


On Feb 18, 2010, at 3:14 PM, David Ilvedson wrote:

> 8:1 solution?
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA  94044


	With reference to what? What Steinway uses to dip a whole set? That

solution is something on the order of 3-4% solids, which is 3:1 of  
what they had been using before to finish pianos, but then became 6:1  
or so when they changed suppliers. That's what I am remembering.
	The problem is that ratios mean nothing unless you know the  
concentration of the original, and that may vary a lot. Which is one  
reason we tend to talk at cross purposes about the use of lacquer. I  
remember being told very specifically by Ron Coners that what they  
used was 3:1, and being rather shocked that they would use such a  
strong solution. What he meant was 3 parts thinner, 1 part lacquer, so  
another way you could express it is 25% solution (which some people  
might express as 4:1, or maybe as one in four).
	It turned out (I learned a couple years later) that they went to the

finish room and dipped some out of the supply there. And that lacquer  
had probably been pre-thinned. Eric Schandall finally clarified that  
what they started with was about 12% solids (if my memory serves), I  
think by weight, if that makes an appreciable difference. And then  
maybe five years ago something changed in the finish room (maybe a  
different supplier), and they went dipping and found the results were  
"a wee bit strong," and they discovered the concentration had changed.  
Or so I remember hearing.
	My lacquer off the shelf is in the 20%+ range for solids content. So

about 6:1 mix of that gives 3-4% solids.
	Maybe someone else has more precise information. Memory does blur a

bit over the years.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu