Gordon, And were those, "...I've found many open-faced blocks on Victorian Pianos....", not sealed? Of course you haven't take them apart to see, but I rather suspect that they were. Pianos made during that period, had WOODWORKERS that really knew about WOOD. They were the best of all woodworkers. They knew the way wood reacts and how to choose the wood for the task. If more piano techs would learn an adequate knowlege of wood they would better understand why it fails. Just MHO. Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon) Been There, Didn't Like It, So I'm Here To Stay! [G}
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