"blotchy" soundboard

[David Ilvedson]

Terry,

You might want to experiment on the darker areas and see if they get lighter with a little more cleaning.   I have cleaned many soundboards with just a damp rag and many times the board has stains in different areas.   I think of it as patina...if they had only used a string cover...;-]

David Ilvedson



----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: pianolover 88 <pianolover88@hotmail.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Wed, 26 Jan 2005 18:04:05 -0800
Subject: "blotchy" soundboard


>I'm restringing my customer's 1926 Wurly Baby grand. After removing all the 
>old wire and pins, I began the lengthy cleaning/detailing process. This had 
>to be just about the dirtiest, dustiest piano I've ever encounterd...and 
>i've seen some pretty bad ones. Anyway, After removing and vacuuming the 
>loose debris from the soundboard, i started cleaning the decades of dirt and 
>grime away, and started to notice that certain areas were getting "brighter" 
>and lighter than others, although I was using uniform pressure on the board. 
>I used (as I always have with excellent results) Howard's restore-a-finish, 
>neutral color, with 0000 steel wool. So now I'm left with a very Blotchy, 
>light/dark soundbaord. I'm not sure if the remaining dark areas are just 70+ 
>years of dirt and grime, or whether it's supposed be dark, and that the 
>lighter areas are the result of too much rubbing...I'm pretty sure  it's the 
>former.

>I need some recommendations as to what would be the most effective cleaner 
>that would most easily cut through the layers of gunk to expose the original 
>"honey" color?  I was thinking about Murphy's Oil soap, but I'm guessing 
>that won't be strong enough for this job. what about some kind of solvent 
>that will quickly break up the grime, but not harm the wood, or varnish, 
>what's left of it anyway.
>Also, Any tips for cleaning between hitch pins? I'm afraid that a wire brush 
>will scratch the plate; and a paint brush won't remove the almost black 70 
>year build up; solvent there too? Thanks list!!!
>Terry Peterson


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