[pianotech] S&S finishing technique

[Paul McCloud]

Hi, Greg:
Once upon a time, I worked for the Steinway dealer.  One day, a customer came in while the salesman on the floor had disappeared.  I asked if I could help.  He said, no, he was just visiting San Diego, and he was the finish engineer for Steinway.  Since I was the touchup guy, I asked him some questions.  I asked the same question you just asked.  He said to take some black lacquer and leave it out in a coffee can for some time while it evaporated the solvents.  It should become a thick goo after a few weeks.  Take that residue and put it in a jar or some old film canisters.  When you need to fill a nick, use the thickened lacquer.  Let it shrink and dry and then sand and rub it out.
What's that?  You don't have time to wait and the job needs to be done asap?  Well, I'll tell you what I do.  I use lacquer stick from Mohawk.  It is more greyish than the original finish when you're done.  I then use some french polish (Wil-Pro from Mohawk) and wipe that over the area and then carefully rub out to match the sheen.  Sometimes I'll use a black touchup marker and color over the lacquer stick.  Of course, this assumes you know how to fill and level the repair first. 
 
Alternatively, you could just use some kind of putty t fill it and spray over the area.  Which will give you overspray and later a repair that won't match because the spray will swell the finish around the area and create a kind of mesa effect.  

FWIW.  It's what I do.  Maybe others will have a better alternative.

Paul McCloud
San Diego

----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell at ameritech.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 9:57:42 AM
Subject: [pianotech] S&S finishing technique

First, apologies. I don't remember the address to the finishing list.
Second, I'm trying to affect a repair on a black S&S L and I can't get the
procedure right to make the repair look the same as the original. Does
anyone know how this is done or can point me to the right place for the
definitive answer. Steinway.com provides no answers.

Thanks in advance!
	

Greg Newell
Greg's Piano Forte
216-226-3791 (office)
216-470-8634 (mobile)
www.gregspianoforte.com
gpf at ameritech.net