Thanks for the tip. I hadn't actually connected the fact that existing rust could effect tone. But of course it would. Time to get out the Polita. -- Geoff Sykes -- Assoc. Los Angeles -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Andrew and Rebeca Anderson Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 5:37 PM To: Pianotech List Subject: RE: Protecting plain wire from rust I'd clean as much rust off as possible first. Get rid of a few rust nodes, clean up the sound a little... Andrew At 04:35 PM 3/26/2006, you wrote: >Tom -- > >I have a customer with a 1919 Hazelton Bros. piano that I service >regularly that has rusty strings. The piano has had a DC in it for >years. I recently replaced it as the tank for the old one literally >fell out of the piano. Nevertheless, and in spite of the fact that the >DC is functionally correctly and is properly maintained, the strings >continue to show increasing signs of rust. Do you think that employing >your Vaseline treatment to these strings at this late stage might be >beneficial? If yes, how would you go about applying this treatment to >strings already in the piano? > >-- Geoff Sykes >-- Assoc. Los Angeles > > >-----Original Message----- >From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On >Behalf Of Tom Servinsky >Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 1:54 PM >To: schecter at pacbell.net; Pianotech List >Subject: Re: Protecting plain wire from rust > > >Mark, >I think that I made myself very clear. Use a very min. amt of Vaseline >and work it into a cotton cloth. Simply wipe the string enough to coat >the strings. That's it. I also made it very clear there is absolutely >no goo or gummy appearance to the string. In fact there is no sign at >all that the string is coated. I can > >say that after 25 yrs of doing this on piano in the tropics, the >strings stay looking pristine. Keep in mind that we also use humidity >control within the piano as well. As far as the Protek is concerned, >this could be a very good R & D project for someone, maybe like >yourself, to begin a study and report back to us your findings after 1, >5, 10, 20 yrs. Then we can figure if Protek could be a good additive. >My studies for my method, as of now, are complete and valid over a 25 yr. >period with absolute success. Not that there are not other ways to skin the >cat, but this particular method does work with great success. To date, I >have never had to go back and re-coat. Tom Servinsky > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Mark Schecter" <schecter at pacbell.net> >To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org> >Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 2:43 PM >Subject: Re: Protecting plain wire from rust > > > > Hi, Tom. > > > > Thanks for writing. The vaseline idea is interesting. I have two > > concerns about it. The more minor one is, are the strings at all > > gummy, and do they attract or collect dust? Not that it would be > > very much, but let's say, ten years down the line, are they still > > shiny? Do you ever renew the coating, and if so, what do you do > > about the area around/between the tuning pins? > > > > The other concern is, since vaseline is a petroleum product that we > > know melts with even very slight heat, could there ever be > > contamination of the pin block? I suppose you're using so little, > > you wouldn't expect it, but it seems worth asking anyway. > > > > Also, I wonder whether any manufacturers do anything to treat plain > > wire, especially when the piano is destined for a humid environment? > > With so many pianos being made in Asia, I would think that rust > > would be a concern right from the beginning. What about the wire and > > pins they store for manufacturing? > > > > As far as using Protek being more expensive, I wonder just how much > > it would really cost per piano? When I have used it prior to tuning, > > I've been using the liquid on a piece of felt as a spreader. But I > > guess you could just as easily make your oil cloth with (what is > > it?) MPL. > > > > That brings to mind the question of active ingredients. With > > vaseline, it's the grease that's doing the protecting. With Protek > > liquid, it's Teflon (presumably). With Protek MPL, I suppose it > > would be both. What I like about the Protek liquid is, there is no > > grease involved, even if it's more expensive. > > > > So anyway, thanks for your thoughts! > > > > -Mark > > > > Tom Servinsky wrote: > >> Mark, > >> Make yourself a small oil cloth by working a small amt. of > >> Vaseline in a small piece of fabric ( T-shirt material). Simply > >> wipe the string with the oil cloth just prior to installation and > >> the string will remain looking new even through bad tropical > >> conditions. We live in the tropics where hurricanes have wrecked > >> havoc in our area over the past 2 years. Where most pianos strings > >> rusted out due to the excessive salt exposure, the pianos we have > >> rebuilt using this methods came out squeaky clean. > >> There doesn't seem to be an adverse affect on tonal and string behavior > >> using this method. > >> I idea of using Protek has crossed my mind however the cost vs the > >> Vaseline doesn't make good economic sense. > >> Tom Servinsky > >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Schecter" <schecter at pacbell.net> > >> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org> > >> Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:15 AM > >> Subject: Protecting plain wire from rust > >> > >> > >>> Hi, all. Here's something I've been wondering about. > >>> > >>> In pianos with rusty strings, I use Protek on the strings where > >>> they pass under the capo, and where they pass through the > >>> agraffes, as well as on the counterbearing felt, to help ease > >>> rendering. It works, and seems to keep on working for at least a > >>> few months, maybe longer. I have > > >>> often wondered if there is any substance (such as, oh, maybe, > >>> Protek?) that people use on clean, shiny strings to prevent rust > >>> or tarnish ever developing? I could imagine taking whole rolls of > >>> wire and dipping it in > > >>> a bath of XYZ-stuff before stringing, or sponging it on in the > >>> piano. > >>> > >>> We are instructed to coat practically every other metal surface in > >>> every device in our lives (think car) with something or other, so > >>> why not piano strings? I guess we could expand the question to > >>> include copper-wound bass strings, too, if anyone has any thoughts > >>> about those. I'm interested to hear people's ideas. > >>> > >>> -Mark Schecter > >>> > >> > >> > >> > > > >
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