[pianotech] Scratched Lid

[Rob McCall]

You're right Paul, It does take a lot of elbow grease.  That's what I  
put into it this last trip. I did polish quite a bit, but as I was  
also doing a deep cleaning on the insides of this Yamaha, some minor  
regulation work, and a tuning, I was pretty tuckered out when it came  
time to polishing it.  After talking with the director, the lid was  
her lowest priority.

Next time I'll just have a tuning to do, and I'll put some extra elbow  
grease into this lid.  I'll admit I was a little tentative Saturday,  
as this was my first attempt at such a feat, but with all the  
encouragement and power tools that have been recommended, I'll be a  
bit more energetic on this next go around!

I guess I have to be more careful in my word choices, as well. My wife  
asks me to put a "coat" of wax on her car, but it's anything but  
easy.  I try and use some light rubbing compounds on that  
occasionally, as well, to help get rid of some swirls, key scrapes,  
etc.  So I guess I just toss around that word a little more carelessly  
than I should have. :-)

I won't AYHYK!  But I'll be happy to take your lessons learned and  
apply it to my education!

Thanks a lot for your help.

Regards,

Rob McCall
Murrieta, CA

On Aug 23, 2009, at 20:39 , pmc033 at earthlink.net wrote:

> Rob:
> 	There is a difference between "coating" something, and polishing it.
> Using polish on polyester doesn't "coat" it.  That's why there's a
> polishing compound in it.  It works by wearing away the surface.   
> Coating,
> as you would do with lacquer or paint, doesn't do anything to the  
> surface
> itself.  If you go back next year to "coat" it, it isn't going to  
> improve
> at all.  You'll have to use more "elbow grease", in fact a LOT more,  
> to
> make any improvement.
> 	Yamaha pianos have a very hard polyester finish, as compared to other
> brands.  It takes a lot more buffing on a Yamaha than on the Chinese  
> or
> Korean brands which use a softer formulation.  In some cases, the  
> finish is
> actually polyurethane, which is extremely hard and also very thin.   
> Often
> this is used on bench tops because it resists scratches better than
> polyester.  It can be buffed also, but it takes longer.  If it gets
> scratched, polyurethane can't be sanded and then buffed.  That is,  
> unless
> you don't mind seeing the primer showing through.  DAMHIK.  Been  
> there,
> sanded that...
> 	I'm sure it will be just as cloudy next year anyway.  Have fun!
> 	Paul McCloud
> 	San Diego
> 	
>
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Rob McCall <rob at mccallpiano.com>
>> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
>> Date: 08/23/2009 5:37:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Scratched Lid
>>
>> Then it's even better than I expected!  :-)
>>
>> I have a contract to tune this piano 4 times a year just before each
>> of their concerts, so maybe I'll do another coat or two every time I
>> go back.  By the end of the year, it'll look great!
>>
>> Rob