PianoTech Archive

From richarducci@comcast.net

List,
Looked at a Cable console covered in mold.
How labor intensive is this to put right?
Will send another photo as well.

From John Ross <jrpiano@bellaliant.net>

You have to get rid of the cause first.
For an action I have had good luck using an air compressor gun with glass beads. Pressure to be determined by trial and error, the keys can also be done this way.
If it is in the keyed, probably a refelting is called for.
Wipe the wood work with a damp cloth, bleach and water.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.
On 2012-12-01, at 4:42 PM, richarducci@comcast.net wrote:

> List,
> Looked at a Cable console covered in mold.
> How labor intensive is this to put right?
> Will send another photo as well.
> 
> <photo.JPG>
> 
> 
> Rick Ucci
> Uccipiano.com
> 609-677-0444

From Barrie Heaton <piano@a440.co.uk>

Do not use an air compressor mould is not good for you, the pours can 
cause all sorts of health problems if they get into your lungs  A HEPA 
vacuum cleaner is effective for this purpose. Wear gloves, mask and eye 
protection when doing this cleanup.

Bleach is no good for moulds on pours items.

Non-porous surface

A mixture of 80% white whine vinegar and 20% water. Vinegar is a mild 
acid which can kill 82% of mold species. However it also has the 
advantages of being natural and safe. Vinegar is non-toxic and doesn't 
give off dangerous fumes like bleach does.

Bleach can kill virtually every species of indoor mold that it comes 
into contact with, along with its spores, leaving a surface sanitized 
and resistant to future mold growth. however, using bleach is only 
effective if the mold is growing on non-porous materials such as tiles, 
bathtubs, glass and countertops. Bleach cannot penetrate into porous 
materials and so it does not come into contact with mold growing beneath 
the surface of materials such as wood and felt. Using bleach on these 
materials will kill the mold above the surface but the roots within the 
material will remain and the mold will soon return.
Porous surfaces eg wood

A mixture of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. This can be got from any chemist. 
Hydrogen peroxide kills mold as it is anti-fungal as well as anti-viral 
also, anti-bacterial. Hydrogen peroxide is a good alternative to 
chlorine bleach because it is safe to use and doesn't damage the 
environment, nor does it leave behind toxic residue or produce toxic 
fumes like chlorine bleach does. Since hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching 
agent it may also help fade the stain mould leaves behind. Spot test 
hydrogen peroxide on the material you're going to be cleaning to make 
sure it won't fade the material's colours.

Tea Tree Oil At the ratio of 1 teaspoon per cup of water. Of all the 
natural mould killing solutions tea tree oil is the most effective. 
Although it is also expensive, a small amount of tea tree oil goes a 
long way in killing mould. Tea tree oil is an essential oil which is 
harmless to humans and pets. Tea tree oil is anti fungal, capable of 
killing all types of moulds. Tea tree oil is antibacterial as well. 
Spray the solution on the mouldy surface or use a clean cloth with the 
tea tree oil solution to clean away mould.

The other problem with mould on felt is it attracts moths


Barrie


In message <B59D6F68-6F88-4B6A-9573-5E2F3A18E4D9@bellaliant.net>, John 
Ross <jrpiano@bellaliant.net> writes
>You have to get rid of the cause first.
>For an action I have had good luck using an air compressor gun with
>glass beads. Pressure to be determined by trial and error, the keys can
>also be done this way.
>If it is in the keyed, probably a refelting is called for.
>Wipe the wood work with a damp cloth, bleach and water.
>John Ross
>Windsor, Nova Scotia.
>On 2012-12-01, at 4:42 PM, richarducci@comcast.net wrote:
>
>  List,
>  Looked at a Cable console covered in mold.
>  How labor intensive is this to put right?
>  Will send another photo as well.
>
>  <photo.JPG>
>
>
>  Rick Ucci
>  Uccipiano.com
>  609-677-0444

-- 
Barrie Heaton      PGP key on request           http://www.a440.co.uk/
AcryliKey Ivory Repair System UK ?              http://www.acrylikey.co.uk/
Piano Castors                                   http://www.piano-safety-
castors.co.uk/

From "Chuck Vetter" <chuck@soundsgreatonline.com>

I had a small Kimball grand that was very moldy. My attitude was one of what can it hurt to try? So, I called a funeral director friend and asked him what he uses that kills every harmful mold, microbe, etc. He gave me a bottle of Medica DC that kills a very broad spectrum of little buggers. I sprayed it generously, exposed the piano and parts to gentle air movement, wiped everything down very thoroughly, reassembled.........regulated, tuned, and turned. Have serviced it for over 5 years without a hint of mold return. 
Chuck Vetter


From: John Ross 
Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 4:53 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org 
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Mold

You have to get rid of the cause first. 
For an action I have had good luck using an air compressor gun with glass beads. Pressure to be determined by trial and error, the keys can also be done this way.
If it is in the keyed, probably a refelting is called for.
Wipe the wood work with a damp cloth, bleach and water.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.

On 2012-12-01, at 4:42 PM, richarducci@comcast.net wrote:


  List,
  Looked at a Cable console covered in mold.
  How labor intensive is this to put right?
  Will send another photo as well.

  <photo.JPG>


  Rick Ucci
  Uccipiano.com
  609-677-0444

From Noah Frere <noahfrere@gmail.com>

I disassembled the particularly moldy parts, including all the action parts
of 1 piano, that had acquired a good deal of mold this summer while i was
not around, and brushed the parts with toothbrushes and/or brass brush
while the vacuum ran a couple inches away. I used vinegar/water and baking
soda on the other parts (keybed, etc.) I did buy an oinizer/ozone generator
though, and it did help with odors around the home, so I think I will
ozonate all those action parts since I didn't actually spray them with an
killer. Ozone kills mold.


On Sun, Dec 2, 2012 at 5:29 PM, Chuck Vetter <chuck@soundsgreatonline.com>wrote:

>   I had a small Kimball grand that was very moldy. My attitude was one of
> what can it hurt to try? So, I called a funeral director friend and asked
> him what he uses that kills every harmful mold, microbe, etc. He gave me a
> bottle of Medica DC that kills a very broad spectrum of little buggers. I
> sprayed it generously, exposed the piano and parts to gentle air movement,
> wiped everything down very thoroughly, reassembled.........regulated,
> tuned, and turned. Have serviced it for over 5 years without a hint of mold
> return.
> Chuck Vetter
>
>
>  *From:* John Ross <jrpiano@bellaliant.net>
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 01, 2012 4:53 PM
> *To:* pianotech@ptg.org
> *Subject:* Re: [pianotech] Mold
>
> You have to get rid of the cause first.
> For an action I have had good luck using an air compressor gun with glass
> beads. Pressure to be determined by trial and error, the keys can also be
> done this way.
> If it is in the keyed, probably a refelting is called for.
> Wipe the wood work with a damp cloth, bleach and water.
> John Ross
> Windsor, Nova Scotia.
>  On 2012-12-01, at 4:42 PM, richarducci@comcast.net wrote:
>
> List,
> Looked at a Cable console covered in mold.
> How labor intensive is this to put right?
> Will send another photo as well.
>
> <photo.JPG>
>
>
> Rick Ucci
> Uccipiano.com
> 609-677-0444
>
>
>
>

From Euphonious Thumpe <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>

An ionizer/ozone generator may help a bit ( after all possible mechanical cleaning is done) and help with odors in the air, but if you want to deoderize a piano, you'd better be prepared to buy a serious unit. Mine ( the smallest the company sold) was $800, and I found it very effective in getting the cigarette smell out of a  Steinway "M", but only AFTER  I'd done all the mechanical cleaning I could conspire! (Including dunking the keys in Purple Power(TM)* scrubbing them, rinsing them, drying them with paper towels and leaving them on a rack with good circulation all around.) But it did "diddly" to get rid of the mouse-pee smell in another piano. (Even after the same extremely strenuous cleaning.) And remember: ozone damages the lungs. So the next time I do this, 
I intend it to be in a shed far, far from the shop!

Thumpe