Man, I've SAVED about a dozen otherwise reasonable pianos from the scrap heap using CA--sometimes in fairly copious quantities. But: 1. Use a drop cloth and newspapers under tilted uprights and cover or remove the action in grands. 2. Have a small electric fan sitting there to blow the fumes away from your face. (Don't do this in any close, unventilated room) 3. Play each note and move the pin a little counter-clockwise to flatten the note then back to pitch (or whereever it was) within a day or two of treatment. 4. Can usually be tuned by the second day, or so, if it was a heavy application of CA and (sometimes) on the same day if it was a light treatment. 5. A slight counter-clockwise turn to the left before tuning the string is a good safety measure and you will be less alarmed by the "pop" that the pin makes in breaking loose. By the way, I did a heavy treatment on a nice old (1890) upright THEN found that the bass strings were just too brittle to tune. Replaced the strings, used the appropriately sized reamer to clean out the pin holes, and inserted 4/0 pins. Two observations: 1. Block tighter than Scrooges purse strings, but tuneable. 2. The CA was glunked (good word for it) quite unevenly on those old 2/0 pins and very securely attached, in places. So it does leave you wondering about the long-term effects of treatment--especially with large amounts of CA. On the other hand: Shimming or repinning are relatively very expensive vis-a-vis CA for a less-than-premium piano. And even in very nice uprights, pinblock replacement seems an extreme option compared to the glue-goo. And, after all, even if the CA doesn't work, or fails down the road, then shimming, repinning, and block replacement are all still available options. I'd do ANY of the above before I'd use the old dope (I know, I know, the stuff has it's cult followers, but not me.) Alan R. Barnard Salem, MO -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Ilvedson Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 10:35 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: good price for CA So...when we come across a piano with loose pins throughout and need to use a inexpensive repair we do what exactly? One drop per tuning pin? Two drops per tuning pin? Can't say as I'll ever need to do this repair...but, I sure as heck don't want any t-pins snapping off...yikes. The only time I've used CA is on a bass tuning pin that wouldn't hold any tension and then I removed and swabbed the hole. Thinking back I might as well of put in a larger pin...!!! In future I can just apply a couple of drops of CA to the pin bushing? David I. ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: David Vanderhoofven <david@vanderpiano.com> To: <mags@magsmusic.net>, Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> Received: Wed, 26 Jan 2005 21:50:03 -0600 Subject: Re: good price for CA >Maggie, >I agree with William here. I would be cautious about using more than 2 >oz >of CA on a piano, and probably never more than 4 oz of CA glue on one >piano. I had an unfortunate incident a few years ago... very old 4' >something no-name grand, heavily rusted, AND... previously treated with >some unknown pinblock treatment. I used 4 oz of CA glue, and since it was >out of town, wasn't able to get back for a few weeks. Fast forward a few >weeks, and during tuning I found the tuning pin torque excessively >high. The piano was almost untunable because the torque was so high. AND, >a tuning pin snapped off flush with the plate. Joy! >Also, please be very careful sniffing those fumes from the CA glue. If >you >have to choose between your health and patching together a marginal piano >using CA glue as a bandaid, consider that you only get one set of lungs. >Sincerely, >David Vanderhoofven >Joplin, MO >At 08:08 PM 1/26/2005, you wrote: >> > Personally, I >> > choose >> > not to buy CA in anything other than 2oz bottles, even for >> > pinblocks. Rarely have I ever needed more than 2oz to do a whole >> > block. >> >> >>Really?!?! I haven't done enough of them to know, but the one I am >>working on took a 2oz bottle in a VERY small section. That's why I >>ordered the 8oz bottle. Probably not the thing I will regularly run >>into, I guess...? >> >> > Best, >> > William R. Monroe >> > >> >> >>THANKS! >>-Maggie, WV >_______________________________________________ >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives _______________________________________________ pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.4 - Release Date: 01/25/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.4 - Release Date: 01/25/2005
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