birdcage

[Farrell]

Don't have any direct experience with the fogger. I can't imagine it hurting
anything - as long as you use a minimal dose.

Any "tech with plenty of birdcage experience" will likely respond: "would
really like to service another birdcage, but golly gosh, I'm double-booked
up 24/7 for the next 1,000 years!" If you are busy enough, then simply make
the choice: them 'em yes or no. However, if I may suggest, I think it is one
of those "rights of passage" for any piano technician to service at least
one birdcage. There is a certain wisdom that comes from being able to say:
"Oh, yeah, I've done my fill of birdcages (one would suffice nicely to round
out a career). My recommendation is service it yourself. You will likely not
want to ever service another one, but its kinda like servicing at least one
square grand - just do it and then you will be over it. Then next time
standing in a hall at  PTG convention when someone asks a question about, or
tells horror story, about a birdcage, you can just lean back and let that
little smirk of knowledge and experience sneak across your face.

Come on. Do it and report the horror back to us!   ;-)

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "pianolover 88" <pianolover88@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 7:06 PM
Subject: birdcage


> Hi list,
>
> Looked at a "Mozart" birdcage piano today, and other than needing a good
> cleaning, everything seemed to be intact and in pretty decent shape, for
its
> age, which I estimate at about 100 years. The Atlas does not correspond to
> the four digit serial number, which is 3748, so the age is a guess.
Anyway,
> my tuning hammer fits the pins pretty good, and the action pulls away
easily
> in order to strip mute the strings. It is approx. 175 cents flat, and the
> customer understands the real possibility of MANY broken strings, even if
> the pitch is not FULLY restored to A440. There is some mold on the base of
> shanks, and here and there, and a full cleaning is in order. the key board
> is fine, and everthing else seems ok. I will probably subcontract this job
> out, as i have never worked on or tuned a birdcage before...not that i
would
> never work on one, but I just think i'd rather give it to a tech with
plenty
> of birdcage experience. I'm busy enough right now as it is.
> Question: this piano has been covered and stored in a garage for quite
some
> time, and a variety of spiders (no widows that i could see) have made it
> their home, so i wondered if it would be safe for the piano to use a
> "fogger" placed in the base, activated and then put the kick board back? I
> know this would surely kill all the little creepy-crawlies, but would it
> damage the piano? I told the customer i would get back to her on that. Any
> advice on tnis? thanks!
>
> Terry
>
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