Action Drying

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Greg Newell wrote:
> 
> Dear List,
>         Folks I'm a little concerned about the heat box method of drying out the action
> centers.  It seems to me that if you treat the entire action you may also be affecting
> some parts that you don't want affected.  
> Could not the birdseye become overly loose?

Yes, if you have the temperatures too high and try to dry things out too
fast. I kept mine maybe 10 or 15 degrees above ambient and left the
action in for 12 to 24 hours. This was after first trying it at a much
higher temperature so that I could hone my repining skills, of course.


> How about the condition of the hammers? 

Never noticed any change of any kind.


> What about the aging glue joints? 

Never had a problem of any kind.


> The list
> goes on when it seems that the only problem is in the hammer flange centers (usually).
> My money is in repining. No options!  

The problem was (is) not necessarily just in a few hammer flange
centers. If there were just a few centers involved I also would repin.
Only actions that were universally sluggish went into the box. I came
across enough of those to make it worthwhile building the box.

> I also seem to find difficulty understanding how
> dousing the action centers and surrounding materials with ANY solution won't have a
> lasting detrimental effect. It just seems to me that either of these other solutions will end
> up effecting more than you really want to affect.  I realize that repining is sometimes
> rather inconvenient but I feel it's the most correct and professional job I can do for my
> customers.  I do not wish to judge others for the methods they use but I feel this is the
> right choice for me and my customers.  Any comments?
>                                         Respectfully,
>                                                 Greg Newell


Greg, 

Well, repining has its problems as well. Not the least of which is a lot
of time. But, remember, both action and piano manufacturers frequently
treat their action centers with various chemicals. Used properly, they
can be a wonderful time saver. Just as my action hot box was. I must
say, however, that I'm far more cautious now than I was 20 years ago.
I've seen too many chemical treatments come and go. Often, at first
blush, they can seem to solve every problem any action has ever had.
Then lock up tighter than a drum a few weeks, months or years later.

My current rule of thumb is this: I'll not put any chemical on—or in—an
action unless I personally know what is in it. I don't necessarily have
to understand all of the chemistry, but I need to know if there are
going to be any surprises lurking in the recesses of the spray can.

I'm at the point now where I have become comfortable with my favorites:
I shrink with alcohol and water, clean with naphtha and lube with
McLube. These pretty much do what I expect of them. They don't surprise
me. And there isn't much more that can be done to an action that can't
be done with them. If they don't work, it's either repining or
installing new action parts. I'll let others experiment with all of the
new chemicals coming along. I'll also let them live with the results,
just as I have. 

Still, if I can save my customers a whole bunch of money by using one or
more of the above chemicals, I'll do it in a heartbeat.

—ddf