At 6:40 PM -0500 12/13/02, Sarah Fox wrote:
>Don't use any product with water (e.g. alcohol + water), because the
>water will stay behind and add to your problem. The proper strategy
>would be to flush the bushing with some dehydrating liquid. The
>liquid will dissolve and carry away the water, as you dab it away
>with a cloth or tissue. Then when the remaining liquid dries, you
>will have less water. You would of course have to use a very
>volatile liquid, likely acetone, with a roughly zero water content
>(e.g. not nail polish remover).
Sarah,
Your experience seems to be completely the opposite of those of us
who have used the alc/H2O treatment quite successfully. The alcohol
is a surfactant, allowing the wool cloth to soak of the water. Water
laden, the bushings now squeeze against the center pins, and during
the 24 hours (roughly rumored thereabouts) is takes the water to
evaporate, the wool fibers take a compression set around the pins.
Once the bushings have dried out this compression set will have
produced a looser fit.
Granted it won't work on bushings contaminated by paraffin oil or
WD-40, or rusted pins. But those situations are the extreme (except
of course for an entire era of Steinway), and are easily spotted.
Time is an unavoidable ingredient in this process. Simply soaking the
bushing and immediately thereafter chase it out with a hairdryer
won't allow the compression set to occur. Tommy should confirm that
this action is not suffering from one of the exceptions, then pick up
pick it up some morning, apply the alc/H20, and bring it back the
next morning.
Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter, P.T.G.
".......true more in general than specifically"
...........Lenny Bruce, spoofing a radio discussion of the Hebrew
roots of Calypso music
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