Pianotech

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?

I'm looking for commiseration and advice.  I'd only encountered this problem once in my 25 years in NYC, and that was a piano that had just arrived by ship from South America.  When I recently ordered key weights from Steinway, I asked about the problem and Chad Frye (?) said he'd never heard of such a thing.  I've encountered it on Steinways, Yamahas, Knights and other brands. 

The leads are corroding, turning into a whitish powder, and in the process expanding.  In the worst cases, they split the key.  Here in the Virgin Islands (land of salt air and high humidity) it seems to be a fairly common problem, leading to keys locking up as the lead weights begin to interfere with the adjacent keys.  I've tried various coatings in an effort to slow the progress of corrosion, but it seems as if, once begun, it's impossible to halt.  

Questions:   Are the weights pure lead or some alloy?

                       What is the proper name of the powdery substance that results?

                        Is that substance more or less reactive/potentially harmful than the unscathed lead?

                         Is there a coating specifically intended for lead? (I've tried a "High Performance" acrylic                                            metal lacquer)

                          Does the corrosion creep from one lead to another, propagating across the keyboard?                                      (This is an important question bearing on how thoroughly one must clean the keys                                                  before installing new leads.)

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this.  Any chemists out there?