String Storage

[David C. Brown]

Dear List;

        At Mollberg and Associates here in  Austin (Bernard Mollberg Prop.)
we regularly apply lubricant to the wire of instruments being restrung.
Generally we use a thin layer of Protek Prolube thinned with Protek liquid
and rubbed together on a cloth, then coat the wire as it comes out of the
canister. I had never done this before, but gived the high humidity it
seems like a good idea as long as the lube is kept away from the tuning
pins! My thanks to Bernard for this tip. He has done this for many years.
        Regarding you storage and travel problem, dessicant seems like the
least messy and simplest way to go. Large amounts of the stuff are readily
available in the bottoms of new pianos. Just remember to dry it out
thoroughly (warm oven for a few hours)  before you pack your wire. Hope
this helps.
                                                Good luck!
                                                        David

David C. Brown RPT
School of Music
The University of Texas at Austin
dcbrown@mail.utexas.edu