Oily Soot

[Greg Newell]

Wim,
        Thank you for your reply! I'd like to pursue this just a little farther
and ask if this is the prescribed repair for every instrument with smoke damage. I
can see doing this quality work on a newer piano with a long serviceable life in
front of it. I'm not sure (even if insurance is paying for it) if I would suggest
it on the various pso's that we see. Could this "soot" that you speak of be blown
out with some compressed air? Is there varying levels of work for different
quality pianos? I still see that big insurance bill that I seem to receive all too
often and wonder what can be done about it?
        We give the vast majority to the Government and the remainder , it seems
to the insurance companies. I don't believe that this is all their fault.  We all
see a never ending cycle of more claims followed by higher bills followed by more
claims ('cause I'm paying for it aren't I) followed by higher bills etc., etc. .
Surely it's not that big of a deal for every piano is it?  Bad stuff happens and
will continue to.
        I must stress that I am not trying to point fingers or anything of the
sort. It would be nice if some sanity could be restored to the insurance industry.
Remember McDonald too hot coffee? How many other countless examples are there?
Each of these simply serves to cause our collective rates to rise again and again.

        Are there situations in which the damage is just smell and an over the
counter spray or neutralizer would do it? I hope you all can see my point here.
Thanks for reading.

Greg Newell

Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 3/12/99 1:21:21 AM !!!First Boot!!!, gnewell@EN.COM writes:
>
> << Before this blows up in my face, I'm not suggesting that this case is
>  one of them. Still I can't help but think that if the objection is the
>  smell and if something like FeBreeze can get rid of it .... Why all the
>  extra trouble and expense? I really am interested in your reply and not
>  just poking barbs here. Please explain.
>                                         Greg Newell >>
>
> A product like FeBreeze gets rid of the odor. If that is the only problem, and
> it will do the job, then that is fine. But I have discovered that soot
> penetrates. It penetrates under strings, inside the hammer felt, under keys,
> etc. We might be able to clean the top of the strings, but not the underside,
> like at the hitch pins. The soot penetrates the understring felts, but we
> can't clean the felt. The same is true for the hammer felt, the damper felt,
> and even the bushing cloth. The residue will stay there, and eventually it
> will create a problem. This might not happen for 10 or 15 year, but it
> eventually will be a problem. I have worked on many pianos that were in a fire
> 20 or 30 years ago, and I can still smell the smoke, and see the residue. If
> the purpose of insurance is to repair fire damage, then that repair needs to
> be permanent, not just a cover up.
>
> Wim