EMERSON 1895 PIANO WITH N

[Les Smith]

On Thu, 6 Jun 1996, Frederick G Scoles wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, 6 Jun 1996 Musing61@aol.com wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 96-06-05 14:48:14 EDT, you write:
> >
> > >As for Liquid Wrench to prevent string breakage, I have tried it and it
> > >seems to work, but lately I have tried Protek CPL (from most piano supply
> > >companies) with good results
> >
> > Where are you putting this stuff?...at the coils?...any corroded point?
> >
> > J. Barry
>
> Two points only;  Under the pressure bar and between the string and the
> V-bar (which is directly beneath the pressure bar.  On bass strings only
> one point, the top V-bar or top angled pin.  Fred Scoles
>

Not always. In the case of older painos, with badly corroded strings that
are far below pitch and haven't been tuned in decades it might also be
necessary to use a SMALL amount of lubricant at each bridge pin. A couple
of years ago I was called in to tune a piano that had been bought new in
1952 and had NEVER been tuned. Not only was the piano down a perfect 5th
in pitch ( that's 700 cents, folks!), but the strings were very badly cor-
roded as well. I used a rust penetrant on the bearing points AND at the
bridge
pins and, eventually, after several intense (translation: expensive) tuning
sessions was able to bring the piano up to and stabilize it at concert pitch
without breaking any strings. I doubt that that would have been possible
without the use of a lubricant, given the amount of corrosion on the strings.
Incidentally, after the final tuning session, as I was getting ready to
leave, the lady told me. "Wow, Les, it sounds great! The NEXT time I have it
tuned, I'll make sure that I call you again".  I remember thinking to myself
as I walked out the door, "Lady, in another 40 years I'll probably be dead!"

Personally, I don't use liquid wrench anymore. The active ingredient in
LW is kerosene and even though it does the job, it leaves a lingering bad
smell in the piano. Even the "unscented" variety of LW leaves behind an
unpleasant odor. I prefer using WD-40, or CRC 5-56 to which I've added
a little Protek. When I use it, I apply SMALL amounts at the bearing points
( and, occasionally, at the bridge pins) with either a hypo-oiler or a small
artists brush. Incidentally, if you've never used a lubricant before, NEVER
try to spray it on the pressure bar. Instead, spray it into a plastic cup
and then apply it with a small artists brush. I saw a piano a few years back
in which a previous tech HAD used a spray can on the pressure bar. While it
did take care of the rusted string problem it also did a great job of curing
the tight tuning pin problem as well!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net