Today I saw a wreck of a Schomacker (1935-Philadelphia) grand piano, with negative pin torque. The strings were flat brass colored, like the finish on a plate. I thought at first the strings had been painted with brass paint, bass strings included, but very close examination showed the wire around the tuning pins and over the bridges was dull brass colored, but there wasn't a molecule of brass paint on the bridges or tuning pins. It looks like the strings, wrapped bass strings included, were painted with brass paint and then the piano was strung. The coating was not easy to scrape off, being plated or painted with a very good paint. I figured that if the strings were gold plated they would not be so flat and dull looking. I would have loved to pull a bass string and bring it home for microscope examination, but that was not an option. I would bet money that the strings were not painted in place, it was simply too good of a job. Can anyone enlighten me as to what I was looking at? Bill Simon Phoenix
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