I have a vague memory of someone using ether (outside!!) to soak Steinway flanges, getting the paraffin out.
I've used a different approach for two Steinway M's belonging to non-professional musicians who just wanted them to play, and who weren't tempted to pay a lot of money for new parts. I replaced the wippen flanges, and also the hammer flanges, and then I rebushed the hammer shanks so I could keep the old shanks and hammers. It seemed likely to me that the grease or wax which had migrated into the shank bushings possibly had not gone much further, and that with new bushings it might take quite awhile for any remaining wax in the shanks (which I guess weren't boiled in paraffin) to migrate through, plus of course there were new center pins which had not been exposed to the grease. So far both jobs seem to have held up well.
This presented a problem, because Steinway grand hammer flanges are sold only with the shanks, so now I have a nice new set of shanks, but no flanges to go with them. I'm hoping that some day I'll be replacing hammers, shanks, and flanges, without verdigris, and I'll be able to reuse the (unboiled) hammer flanges while tossing the shanks with their worn bushings, flattened knuckles ("rollers") and worn out hammers.It would be better if one could buy sets of just the hammer flanges to go with sets of new wippen flanges, because there are a lot of old Steinways with verdigris out there, and having some parts in inventory would be handy.
The second piano had already had the hammers, shanks, and flanges replaced, so I didn't end up with TWO sets of brand new shanks and no flanges. The installation had been really crummy, but after lots of time spacing and traveling and filing and voicing I was able to get them usable.
Both of these pianos were very seized up but had never been sprayed with anything. It shows how important it is that no one has sprayed lubricant into the actions, so that the only factor we need to fight is the boiled-in-paraffin flanges. Once someone has sprayed lubricant all over, the jack centers and balancier centers will also be thoroughly fouled with grease, and can only be thrown away. I remember a seized action for a customer about to move to Hawaii. I used a "zapper" to free them up, telling the owner that she would need to replace the parts once she had finished her move, but maybe she could get some use from the piano first. That piano had been so thoroughly sprayed with lubricant that the parts were dark brown, and when I used the zpper, the oil boiled out of the flanges.
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Susan Kline
Philomath, Oregon
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2019 23:40
From: James Kelly
Subject: boiling action parts
during some of my deep searches on the internet i have come across some great publications long out of copyright but scanned for fair use . i think this was in the internet archives. you can also find some good materials using google play books. you never know what you will find and sometimes one thing opens the door to many other things. i have been doing extensive research on Chickering & Sons including a visit to the archives at the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian. At the present time I am hunting down a lead that stated 3-d stereograms (think viewmaster) where taken of the inside of the Chickering & Sons factory .
i do think the verdigris is a result of the paraffin possibly getting heated up by the friction and getting drawn out into the wool reacting with the lanolin and wash chemicals as well as the center pins. tallow seems like something like bacon fat which gets waxy when cool but then goes liquid when heated up. sealing wood back in the day to prevent warping, cracking, movement makes sense. it has never been clear to me when i see the phrase dampproofed and waterproofed on the plates of pianos what exactly was used and where.
although i have never experimented with it i wonder if there is a way to extract the paraffin out of the wood using warming or by using ultrasonic waves as in an ultrasonic parts cleaner. maybe i will conduct some experiments using some verdigris loaded action parts i have
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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2019 20:43
From: Peter Grey
Subject: boiling action parts
James,
Thank you! It clearly answers the paraffin question.
Where did you find this? It's great! Contains the subtle hint that their pianos will keep on singing even without regular maintenance.
Pwg
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Peter Grey
Stratham NH
603-686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2019 20:25
From: Ted Rohde
Subject: boiling action parts
Thank you for that. I've downloaded it for the guys. It possibly helps explain things.
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Ted Rohde
Central Illinois
Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2019 09:58
From: James Kelly
Subject: boiling action parts
this may explain once and for all the issue of frozen, verdigris action parts and why they smell like candles when heated or have a waxy appearance as others have mentioned in this thread
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James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
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