pin driving fluid

[David Ilvedson]

Now I work for the San Francisco Ballet and the dancers have these boxes of
yellow chunks of something that gives off a powder which the step in often.
This is rosin I believe and isn't tacky or sticky but very non-slippery.  I
had thought it might be good for back checks to aid in checking but...

David I.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of John Lillico, RPT
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2000 8:41 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: RE: pin driving fluid


>What exactly is rosin made of?  Inquiring minds etc.
>
>David I.
>
David,

You can be thrown off by following the spelling "rosin" for that sounds like
an old girlfriend of mine.

What they are really getting at is "resin", as from a pine tree..... a
non-conductor of electricity. It's what pitchers use in baseball (resin
bag)...  to keep their hands dry. Now, how does that work in a pinblock?
Every bare-handed stringer should have a bag of resin to absorb
perspiration. Resin in itself will not aid in smooth tuning and cannot be
considered a pin driving fluid. It's much like chalk, it absorbs moisture.

If resin was the least bit tacky, you can bet it would have been banned by
Major League Baseball.

John Lillico,
SkyDome, Canada