Discussion Posts

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Here are the CDC recommendations for clean up: https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/rodent-control/clean-up.html Since most of these viruses are enveloped viruses they are easily disinfected with any reputable disinfectant such as hypochlorus acid, benzalkonium ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hantavirus is mostly found in field mice and wild rodents. In North America it is called Sin Nombre virus: " Sin Nombre virus (is usually carried) by the western deer mouse ( Peromyscus sonoriensis ). [ 2 ] [ 4 ] From Wikipedia: "They ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I found an article by John Granholm in the November 2010 Journal discussing hantavirus. I'd not vacuum. I state: "This does not cover mold removal or removal of any animal related debris." on the cleaning description on my website. ------------------------------ ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Mice can potentially spread several diseases, the main concern being hantavirus. Hantavirus is spread through airborne particles from the urine and droppings. This makes it particularly dangerous to vacuum out the piano if the mouse was infected. Hantavirus ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    David, I recently had to clean up a nasty mess. However it was only to the extent of getting the piano playable, not to return it to nice condition. It was really bad. All the keys had poop jammed between them so they wouldn't move, plus a substantial ...

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  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Larry, you should qualify. From the outside of your nose. ------------------------------ Steven Rosenthal RPT Honolulu HI (808) 521-7129 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    One other thing that works sometimes is sebum. Get it from the side of your nose. ------------------------------ Larry Messerly, RPT Bringing Harmony to Homes www.lacrossepianotuning.com ljmesserly@gmail.com 928-899-7292 --------------------------- ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Highland Hardware has the following: Garnet Orange SuperBlonde Platina most clear ------------------------------ Parker Leigh RPT Winchester VA (540) 722-3865 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Shellac flakes normally come in four grades from amber to clear. ------------------------------ Parker Leigh RPT Winchester VA (540) 722-3865 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Soapstone is talc with other minerals. Care should be used selecting the stones because some soapstones can contain gritty particles from various minerals. Soapstone is the preferred material for Native Americans’ making of bowls for smoking pipes. ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Parker, Waterwhite refers only to lacquer, or is there a such thing as waterwhite shellac? Joe Wiencek NYC

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Thanks, Alan, for sharing Richard's report. Laroy talked about the circle of refinement in regulating. The zen technique just gives us another tool to check and refine our work. Richard

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Interesting, isn't it. The reason we hear better in the dark is probably an evolutionary function. When the sun went down our other senses had to become more acute in order to sense approaching predators. Practicing the piano (which I still do) I find ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hello All! Just a reminder my aural tuning Q&A YouTube Livestream is tomorrow, 1/29/26, at 8AM, EST! Video following. Subscribe to get notifications. If you have any questions, just ask. 🙂 https://youtube.com/shorts/oMX-u4iQP_A?si=orqIVRlKaALP6O9i ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Richard, Concerning the Yamaha technique for assessing after-touch with no tools external to our bodies, Richard Davenport, RPT reported from his experience at the Yamaha concert grand factory that he was told that one of the reasons they use both hands ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    You can buy water white premixed "Steinway Hammer Lacquer" directly from Wurdack. It's weak enough you can just dip the hammer (dip just the crown until it wicks pretty close to the molding (not the whole hammer) it will continue to spread. Or just ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Waterwhite lacquer from Mohawk, Shellac flakes from Highland Hardware, Sandarac from Talas ------------------------------ Parker Leigh RPT Winchester VA (540) 722-3865 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Greetings, I would not shorten boring by 6 mm just to have the hammer meet the string at 90º. This is a common deviation from ideal in most of the Steinways I see and I have found that when you shorten the bore by more than 3 mm you can run into ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    https://www.talasonline.com/chemicals-and-cleaners/resins ------------------------------ Ed Sutton ed440@me.com (980) 254-7413 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Alan Not sure if the name reflects your findings but I found a recipe online a while back and made some with the 3 ingredients you listed. That recipe said equal parts of Vaseline and Lanolin melted then add talcum powder till it's saturated and ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Summing up the comments up to this point, different technicians approach the issue I posed in my original question in the following ways: 1) Keep Dip and Aftertouch constant and alter Blow Distance. 2) Keep Aftertouch and Blow Distance constant ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hi Joe, Some hammer manufacturers offer "universal" hammers, which the installer cuts to length according to the tail length they want plus the correct bore distance below the crown. Don't think I've ever tried to do 6 mm before, but something approaching ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hi Karl, Thanks for your comments. I recently moved the capstan line on a Steinway O in order to raise the action ratio. The original capstan line was not straight, veering off as it went into the treble, similar to what you show in the pictures you ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hi Alan. Thanks for your input. You may be right. I was told by a fairly reliable source (but can't remember who) that it was molybdenum. Interesting, that possible misinformation, but pretty much par for the course these days, which is sad to consid ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Where do you guys order the Sanderac, Waterwhite, Hammerlac and other types of Shellac from? I just checked Schaff and they don't have any of these items. Thanks! ------------------------------ Joe Burros Cell: 646-410-7174 jbcello@gmail.com www.fmi-newengland.com ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    And I learned about the sandarac FROM Chris C. So the credit goes to him. Never heard it from anyone else is 50 years. Peter Grey Piano Doctor ------------------------------ Peter Grey Stratham NH (603) 686-2395 pianodoctor57@gmail.com ----- ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hey Dave, I had been told a couple of things about VJ lube that I can neither confirm nor disconfirm. 1) It is named after Vic Jackson 2) It consists of Vaseline, talc and lanolin Can anyone shed some light on the accuracy of these claims? Alan ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hello, all. Nobody mentioned soapstone. It was our go-to when I was in school. It's dry and you can keep in in your shirt pocket like a pencil. I haven't seen VJ lube in a long time, but it was also a staple in the piano lab. It's Vaseline with molybdenum. ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    There are good reasons for using the natural tree resins. Shellac and Sandarac are both alcohol soluble, meaning you have more control if too much is applied. Petroleum based B-72 is very difficult to walk back. I have seen techs turn hammers into gummy ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I will second that. Both should be quite thin for max penetration. The sandarac is used (by some of us) just at the top of the moulding on both sides, preferably with action on end. The shellac is used from the top down through the strike to ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Use waterwhite shellac and/or sandarac ------------------------------ Parker Leigh RPT Winchester VA (540) 722-3865 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Nope only pure unscented Ivory soap. I've used it for years on all types of squeaks. Even wood on wood dresser drawers. ------------------------------ Larry Messerly, RPT Bringing Harmony to Homes www.lacrossepianotuning.com ljmesserly@gmail.com 928-899-7292 ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    So does this mean that I need to use Irish Spring on the return springs when they squeak? Asking for a friend. 😁 ------------------------------ Norman Cantrell Owner Piano Clinic Oklahoma 580-695-5089 ------------------------------ ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    That creaking sound is a lower frequency version of fingernails on a blackboard, so I have no doubt that the absence will make the player feel much better and more relaxed. Ivory soap traditionally has a high amount of beef tallow-sodium tallowate in ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    B-72 is the way to go! ------------------------------ Scott Copeland RPT Josephine TX (559) 301-9215 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hello Paul, Ivory bar soap was recommended to me. I used it on a piano last week, just sanding the leather and then rubbing the soap into the leather. I just received this message: Hi Peter just wanted to update you that the pedal has stayed quiet ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Mr Burros et.al. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the variability of string height across the compass of many instruments. The SD 10 I'm working on at the moment has a 5mm difference in string height from note 1 to note 20. If I were to keep blow ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    It seems odd to me to prioritize uniformity of hammer blow in all of the sections over uniformity of key dip. Key dip is tactile. Lack of uniformity can be felt by the sensitive player. If the bass hammers have a slightly different blow distance from ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Bill Ballard wrote: " A good pianist will sure notice the 15 mil error if you put into a 45 mil AT, than if you put it in a .395-.425 dip. This point was first made to me in a class by the sorely-missed LaRoy Edwards, years ago." You are not the only ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    This came up on the forum a few years ago and it turned out that they are used as cabinet latches on RV's. So, if not Ace or True Value as Larry recommends, then an RV specialist business should have them. ------------------------------ Steven Rosenthal ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Larry, Laughed out loud at your post. Thanks for that, man! Alan ------------------------------ Alan Eder, RPT Herb Alpert School of Music California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA 661.904.6483 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Take your picture to the local Ace or True Value and show it to the old guy smoking by the propane tanks. He'll find it for you. ------------------------------ Larry Messerly, RPT Bringing Harmony to Homes www.lacrossepianotuning.com ljmesserly@gmail.com ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Hi Eugene: You can substitute a regular cabinet latch with rollers if you can't find an exact replacement. They've been manufactured since forever and are still around in any hardware store. ------------------------------ Paul McCloud, RPT Accutone ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    To allies with 3D printers, Has anyone made replacement fallboard catch parts for Kimball grands? The original plastic part is broken. ------------------------------ Eugene Taets RPT Silvis IL (309) 796-2888 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Jonpage@pianocapecod.com ------------------------------ Paul McCloud, RPT Accutone Piano Service www.AccutonePianoService.com pavadasa@gmail.com ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Anyone know where to purchase Jon Page's CBL? ------------------------------ Parker Leigh RPT Winchester VA (540) 722-3865 ------------------------------

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    I have not had a sticky piano in a while and I blame it on my own mixture of CLP + a small amount of Marvel Mystery Oil as a string lubricant. I do have some of Jon's string lubricant but have not yet tested it. I have also experimented some with applying ...

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    RE: Cybertuner OTS

    Posted in: CAUT

    A lot of the apps now have a subscription option, so if you want to try out the full version it will cost around $10 or so for a month. ------------------------------ "That Tuning Guy" Scott Kerns Lincoln, Nebraska www.thattuningguy.com --------- ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    In a piano, cast iron actually has greater natural lubricity than brass (agraffes) because of the high carbon (essentially graphite) content. However, because brass is soft, over time it is prone to galling, or the string cutting grooves in the torus ...

  • Posted in: Pianotech

    Jonathan, my experience with the type of bonding you describe for a grand has almost always been caused by a rust-type bond between the strings and the under-bearing cloth felt. Often older Steinways, but other brands as well. You will usually hear a ...