At 12:55 AM +0100 1/1/02, Isaac OLEG SIMANOT wrote: >I've seen one grand made with polyurethane (black) . It is not as good as >poly , looks a little cheap, but it is a possible solution I guess. > >A bit heavy to spray, you may need a good sprayer. >It does not seem to sand and buff so well as the poly. > >But the piano I've seen was acceptable, looks more as a lacquer than a poly. There's polyurethane and polyurethane. Obviously the straightforward polyurethane varnish and paints that have been used by DIY people for decades to the detriment of much good woodwork is not an option, by I understand that the finish on a Kawai, and probably a Yamaha is not polyester, as is generally thought, but a cured polyurethane. Don't quote me on this, but I think my memory serves me aright. A "two-pack" polyurethane is a very different product. Whereas polyester is relatively harmless to the operator, acrylics and hard-curing polyurethane lacquers are lethal, spelling instant death to the operator if proper air-fed breathing apparatus is not used. For that reason very few small firms would want either the risk or the expense of using such products. The advantage of polyurethane over polyester is apparent in the superior finish obtained by Kawai compared with the European makers, including Steinway, not to speak of American makers. At one stage in my career I also experimented with an acid-catalysed melamine lacquer developed by a London firm. The results were good and durable but I did not continue to use the stuff because it was quite unpleasant and, like all the other modern products, required a lot of hard work in flatting. If I wanted that sort of working life, I'd have gone into the motor trade! Every experiment has ended up with me returning to frenchpolishing, which is a noble art. I'm at present working on a 102 year-old 6'7" black grand. At least 70% of my labour was done 103 years ago in Germany. All I have to do is thoroughly clean and ease down the existing finish and commence the polishing work with the final body and finishing rubbers. A job that might have taken 130 hours if I'd needed to strip, will probably take less than 40 hours in total. Sadly this is possible only with a black piano. Bonne année! JD
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