substitute for Methynol?

[Richard Moody]

The reason for using heat to dry the wetting solutions is so that it (the
solution) doesn't have time to get into get into the wood and swell that. 
As long as it stays in the wool and the wool gets dried, which makes it
shrink, that is what the wetting solutions are supposed to do. When
treating the whole action,  the best source of heat is from a baseboard
register.  Cover the action with a blanket. Warm moving air seems to work
the fastest.   When dry, the action should feel physically warm to touch,
also with the action on end, you can tell real fast which centers are
still sluggish.  execpt for jacks... Now you must let it sit for 24 hours
to see if the treatment worked.  

I have always used denatured alcohol, available in most hardware stores. 
However I can think of some advantages to using grain alcohol, but I think
it should be at least 100 proof, and even that might have too much water
in it..
If the denatured alcohol is to be mixed at  3 parts alcohol to one part
water, that would make it around 140 proof.  
Richard Moody

----------
> From: Roger Jolly <baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: substitute for Methynol?
> Date: Friday, May 15, 1998 9:02 AM
> 
> Hi Chris,
>          Use 50% common rubbing alcohol and water, It will work fine, if
> you can leave the action for 24hrs it seems to shrink a little less than
> using a blow drier, I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps some one wiser than
I
> could enlighten us all.
> Regards Roger
> 
> 
> 
> At 11:02 AM 5/15/98 -0800, you wrote:
> >Hi,
> >
> >I want to use the methynol method for relieving some tight action
centers
> >but I am unable to get methynol around here...   Are there any
substitutes?
> >What about grain alcohol?
> >
> >
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >
> >Chris Olson
> >Complete Piano Services
> >Sebastopol, California
> >
> >
> >
> Roger Jolly
> Balwin Yamaha Piano Centres.
> Saskatoon/Regina.
> Canada.