Damp Action Drying

[Roger Jolly]

At 12:36 PM 9/22/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi Jim:
>
>I finally decided to show up in this discussion of solutions for 
>treating sluggish flanges.
>
>When I worked for Baldwin, I came back from a trip all excited about
>LPS #1. I went to our top Quality Control man who wasn't overly excited
>about my find. He placed a spot of the solution on a blotter on a mild 
>heating plate and waited until all of the carrier flashed off. Then 
>he said to me: "this residue is what will eventually get you into 
>trouble." He was aware of the Steinway parafin oil treatment and all the
>ensuing problems years later. He is the one who invented the Methanol/
>water/ivory soap combination for treatment of flanges. It works like 
>this: the methanol (alcohol) thins the water and breaks down surface
>tension so that the water can soak in completely and swell the bushing
>cloth (Oh yes, it also slightly swells the wood of the flange too),
>which causes the wool to fit the pin smoothly (like ironing), then the
>water evaporates out, the wool shrinks, and the fit ends up with less
>torque resistance. More water will shrink more. The Ivory soap helps
>wash out impurities which may have remained after the bushing cloth was
>thoroughly washed prior to flange making.
>
>That's all I remember about the process. "That's all I have to say about
>that."
>
>Jim Coleman, Sr.
>
Greetings Jim,
              It's some 20 plus years since we last met but you left an
indelible impression on me to strive for perfection.
  My post with regards to Lanolin was a thought that I had communicated to
Fran Shannon, some time later he confirmed my suspicions that it probably
was the waterproofing and lubricating qualities of the material and not the
detergent quality that was doing the trick. I have over the years tried
various soap substitutes and they are no where near as effective. Some bar
soaps contain LYE which is highly corrosive and would be counter productive
if substituted.
  With regards to contaminants that can cause corrosion, in coastal regions
there is a lot of salt in the damp air that will speed up the greenies.
Point number 2 is that in heavy industrial areas sulpher is the main
culprit, H2S is present in the pollution, when combined with water produces
H2SO4, Yuck sulfuric acid, this substance can definitly make you green.
  Thanks for your help and inspiration those many years ago. It sounds as
if you are enjoying retirement??????
  Kind regards
  Roger Jolly.