Protek & Teflon

[David M. Porritt]

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Ken:

I have a piece of hammer felt that I have shaped like a key bushing caul.
I dip the felt in Teflon powder and insert it in the key bushing (while the
keys are off the action).  That works well and puts lots of Teflon in the
bushing felt that tends to stay there for a long time.

dave
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 8/3/01 at 8:20 PM Kevin E. Ramsey wrote:
    Hi, Ken. I don't think I've ever replied directly to one of your
postings before.  Here are my thoughts on this issue. I don't really have
too much experience with teflon bushings, but I do with Protek CLP. The way
I know CLP to work, and have demonstrated it to my own satisfaction, is
that it works primarily on metal, not necessarily on felt. It seems to
plate or coat the metal with a polymer type lubricant. The carrier flashes
off, leaving the polymer. Some people don't like to use it on brass, like
key pins or aggraffes, because if you store it in a container with a brass
spout, it will react with the copper in the brass, and start to turn blue.
The implication is that it will cause verdigris on brass parts. I have not
found that to be the case, because it's the carrier that is reacting with
the copper, not the lubricant. (And remember, the carrier evaporates.) 
    So your application of the Protek couldn't hurt, possibly not the best
cure, but it sure as heck will make a difference. You were right to apply
teflon to the knuckles too, that probably made a big difference too. I have
seen many a newer piano where I first approached it and checked the
aftertouch, and felt a "squeaking" in the jack letting off; applied
Spurlock's Micro Fine Teflon, and then felt it, and it was gone! 
    Here's something you all should try, I love this when I'm trying to get
the friction down;     Remove the up-stop rail that holds the keys. Lift
the keys up, a few at a time, and apply Protek CLP to both sides of each
front key pin. Do an octave or so at a time, using a Q-tip or eye-shadow,
sponge tipped thingee, ( my favorite), before applying more to the
implement, and then check your UW/DW. Report your findings back here. My
customers just love the way their keys feel, and continue to feel to them.
No need to soak the bushings, just coat the pins.  A dozen drops does the
whole set of front key pins. Who'd a thunk it?
 
    The way I really began to think about the action of the CLP, was when I
kept tuning a Yamaha C7 for concert work. I would regularly mute off the
back duplex area with masking tape, just so that I didn't have to listen to
any extraneous noise while tuning. After several concerts, I noticed that I
was getting a little noticeable residue on the strings there, and I thought
that it looked "tacky" to let it go like that. So,  I put a little CLP on a
small piece of cloth, and used it to clean the rear duplex strings. I then
took a dry cloth and wiped the remainder off, buffing the strings to a
shine. Two or three months go by; I'm called on to prepare the piano for a
big concert. I go about my usual procedure, getting the piano ready etc,
but when I try to apply the masking tape, It won't stick. I got my Naphtha
out and cleaned the strings, it STILL WON'T STICK!  At this point I'm
thinking "What IS this stuff". Then I found out about this technique of
coating metal parts with a treatment other than teflon, and I think it
clicked for me. 
    
    I know, more than you really wanted to know.


Kevin  Ramsey
ramsey@extremezone.com 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ken Jankura 
To: pianotech@ptg.org 
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2001 7:29 PM
Subject: Protek & Teflon


  I service a S&S D at a local college, and recently the pianist complained
of
heavy touch. It's a '72 teflon, and the downweight was around 70, upweight
around 30 or so. I used Protek on an experimental hammer center or two and
measured a 5 to 10 gram reduction in downweight. Has anyone run into this
before? I lubed all centers and used teflon on the knuckles and all was
well
(all things considered). The pianist called to say how happy she was and
what a miraculous job I had done making the piano playable again. What
gives?
Ken Jankura
Newburg, PA
_____________________________
David M. Porritt
dporritt@swbell.net
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275
_____________________________


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