At 02:36 AM 8/30/2000 -0400, Bill Simon wrote:
>john@musselwhite.com writes:
>
><< "Snuggles" has been tested, not only by itself but against other
>brands of fabric softener. Personally I don't use it except in an emergency
>and then only sparingly. I prefer either steam or Susan's alcohol and water
>treatment, though Evercleer isn't available in Canada and I make do with
>vodka.>>
>
>Does it not then seem logical that there should be a "Standard of Practice
>FAQ" where one can learn what is meant by your "and then only sparingly"
I wish it were that easy. The only "minimum standards of practice" I've
seen are copyright materials published by the Piano Technicians Guild. If
you want a copy join and buy them. If you're looking for individual service
manuals to define a company's "standard of practice" buy one from them.
They're all different.
BTW, "sparingly" means as little as possible to do the job. To an
apprentice I'd explain that by saying that if you think you've used too
much you probably have.
>comment. What does that mean? What kind of emergency would prompt you to use
The kind of "emergency" when something has to be done *now* and you have no
time to do anything else.
>it? HOW do you make do with vodka? It seems like you are more than
Evercleer is almost pure alcohol and not available over the counter here. I
hope I've been spelling it right. Vodka has water in it already as well as
a few impurities. See Susan's articles in the Journal or the list archives
on how to experiment with it. The same goes for steam, although that's
Roger Jolly's balliwick.
>willing
>to share your ideas and experience, and I give you great credit for that, so
>why not a site where one can look up exactly what you personally do, instead
I'm more than willing to share knowledge and experience at chapter
technicals and in the Pianotech list where appropriate questions can be
asked in the proper setting. The archives are infinitely more valuable than
me or anyone else just telling the world how we do something on a WWW page
where there is no opportunity to challenge the ideas.
>of trying to go back and read a year of old back posts, mostly ambiguous.
>ALSO, - there could be statements in agreement or disagreement with what you
>do, and why. THEN real progress can be made in "lifting all the boats" or
>raising the competence level of all. THEN you will have truly added to the
>art of music, forever.
Pianotech and the archives *are* the appropriate place for that
information. Those disagreements and comments give you insight into all
sides of a subject or procedure and will raise your competence level...
especially when you participate.
><<I first heard of the "Snuggles" technique at the Steinway factory in NYC
>where at least some of the Hall tuners carry it with them. Is that not a
>high enough recommendation?>>
>
>NO, - but it goes a long way.
>
>Steinway may have different concerns than the average local technician.
Certainly they do. The average local technician isn't preparing concert
grands for Internationally-renowned artists or working on pianos worth as
much as a small house. They are also working exclusively with their own
hammers and parts.
>They
>may well use excellent short term fixes for problems knowing that the piano
>gets a new set of hammers twice a year. I tune pianos with hammers 90 years
>old which will never be replaced. Perhaps the fabric softener that works just
>great for a month is a liability in a piano that will never get another set
Well, then don't use it until you've experimented with it yourself.
Personally I don't like it 99.9% of the time, but there may come a day when
that .1% comes up and if you know about this and understand how it's used
you're prepared. I've worked with it with old parts and some new ones so
I'm prepared if I need it.
>of hammers. Has Steinway never been wrong? Seems to me they are not so Teflon
>coated as they once were. All I suggested is that thought, research and logic
>be brought to home practices, and that testing and evaluation be done before
>employing new methods and products.
Applying liquids to hammers is not "new" it's been done since pianos still
had leather-covered hammers. Experimentation, trial and error are part of
the scientific method and are things we should be practicing all the time.
In the discussion of fabric softener solutions we have been sharing the
results of that experimentation and giving you an implied invitation with
some knowledge beforehand of how do your own research.
>Where then is the site where I can read of your distilled, tried and tested
>wisdom. If the path to this knowledge is to go back several years and read
>all the posts up until today, why are you hiding your generously given
>experience? Where is the agreement from all quarters that you have it right?
> Where is the proviso from one quarter that warns of hazards if such and
> such
>is different from normal?
The Pianotech archives are where you find this, Bill. You search for your
topic, read all the pros and cons of a procedure from a variety of sources
and armed with that knowledge you experiment for yourself to see what works
*for you* and what doesn't.
>I am advocating for a searchable standard of practice that is generally
You won't get one really because other than the minimum standards required
by the PTG there is a lot of variety in what you might call "standard".
>accepted by competent technicians, so that the rest of us lay technicians can
>improve their practice. Is that so bad?
No it's not bad at all. The PTG publishes documents which list many basic
"standard practices" and how you may be tested on any of the subjects.
There is at least one excellent book out there complete with pictures that
will tell you many standard procedures we all perform but you still have to
*practice* those before you become competent. If you want to become more
than just competent then you need to do a lot of research, you need to do a
lot of experimentation and you need to share those ideas with others so
they can be refined.
There are somewhere around 300 technicians reading this list and I'll
assume most of them are competent. Only about a tenth that number are
regular posters who have been doing that kind of experimentation and
research for themselves and are sharing the results of that. I'd hazard a
guess that a fair number of "lurkers" will read what the others have to
say, perhaps ask questions and then go experiment for themselves and in the
process understand more about the piano and what we can do with it. This is
the stuff you *don't* learn in books or on WWW pages... the things that
will help people to become more than just "lay technicians".
I might add that these opportunities for learning more about your craft are
brought to you by the Piano Technicians Guild. This list for example is a
"free service" provided by the PTG to help both members and non-members
improve their skills as well as share ideas and just socialize with other
tuners. If you aren't a member of the PTG join and take advantage of the
materials it has to offer and help pay for this list while you're at it.
End of long rant... B-})
John
John Musselwhite, RPT - Calgary, Alberta Canada
http://www.musselwhite.com http://canadianpianopage.com/calgary
email: john@musselwhite.com http://www.mp3.com/fatbottom
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC