Damp Action Drying

[Les Smith]

On Fri, 19 Sep 1997, pianoman wrote:

> Dear Paul,
> Any drying procedures on keys and action should be done with them removed
> form the piano, I'm sure you knew that.  I would seal the action and keys
> in a box with several dampp-chasers and monitor the humidity before you
> turn them on in the box and as they stay in the box.  After that I would
> lubricate and go after it with a hair dryer aimed only at the centers and
> not on high heat.  Then I would try it in the piano after checking key pins
> and cleaning and lubing them.
> Good luck on a Kimball.
> James Grebe
> > 
> > List:
> > 	I just finished working on a Kimball console action which was almost
> > frozen due to dampness.  The house is only a few blocks from the ocean,
> > and although it is on an inside wall, really soaked up a lot of
> > moisture.
 <snip>
  My usual "cure" is to dry the action slowly with a hair
> > than San Diego, I'd like to know what other techs do to get rid of
> > excess moisture in the action.  Am I setting myself up for callbacks by
> > using the hair dryer method?  Is the dryer too strong, weakening glue
> > joints, etc.?  Should I just repin the action and ignore the moisture in
> > the bushings?  Just curious to know what others do.
> > 
> > Paul McCloud, RPT
> > San Diego, CA

The technical term for the condition of the piano is "shotski". It is
beyond any hope of salvaging on a permanent, cost-expediant basis. Any
repairs you attempt, up to and including sending it on an extended
vacation to Arizona to "soak up some rays", will only provide temporary
relief. As Kenny Rogers says in The Gambler, sometimes you have to know
"when to walk away". This is one of those times. If you choose to tackle
this job, you're going to find it a major source of irritation and frus-
tration in the future in terms of numerous call backs and hard feelings
on the part of the cutomer when he finds that the problem can't be made to
go away on a permanent basis without investing more money than the piano
is worth. The damage done to the piano already extends far beyond just
the action centers and will make itself apparent in time. I suggest that
you move on to more worthwhile and rewarding work. Even the best doctors
can't save every patient. This one is terminal. Tell it like it is to the
piano's owner. If he refuses to believe you and still wants to try to
save it, give him the name of another piano technician in your area who
guts you REALLY HATE. Expect, however, that at some point in time in the
future, that same technician will refer an equally hopeless piano to you
in an attempt to get even. :)

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net