[CAUT] Vertigris on Action Rail

[Ed Sutton]

Action verdigris is caused by an interaction of wax and brass (copper). 
They used wax to adhere the strip of cloth to the rail.
Take away the wax, and the verdigris won't come back.
ES
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: tannertuner 
  To: caut at ptg.org 
  Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 3:33 PM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Vertigris on Action Rail


        Hi William, Thanks.
        Yeah, I was thinking cleaner would gunk up the holes, but worried at the same time that if I didn't use something that would kill it all, it could feed on the new parts and grow back. You guys have helped diminish that concern. I don't know if I want to spray with lacquer. I've pulled some wips off of rails that were sprayed with some kind of gold lacquer and they were stuck good. That makes travelling a pain. Besides, the sheen of the rails isn't going to be all that important. The brackets don't look very nice and won't clean up, so...
        Thanks,
        Jeff

        --- On Fri, 7/30/10, William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net> wrote:


          From: William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net>
          Subject: Re: [CAUT] Vertigris on Action Rail
          To: caut at ptg.org
          Date: Friday, July 30, 2010, 12:38 PM


          Jeff,

          I've used a green scotch-brite pad.  It leaves a satin rather than polished finish, but that's OK in my book.  Then Flitz if you like.  I've pretty much stopped using cleaners for these rails as I don't care for the gunk in all the screw holes.  It's not really the end of the world, just my preference.  Scotch brite is fast and thorough.  Then give it a quick coat of Brass-Lacquer to prevent tarnish.  When you are cleaning look very closely for cracks in the brass rail.  More often than not, they are there.

          William R. Monroe


           
          On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 10:34 AM, tannertuner <tannertuner at bellsouth.net> wrote:

            Hi all,
            What's the best way to clean vertigris off the wippen rail of an old Steinway?
            Thanks,
            Jeff




       
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