Pianotech

My grandfather used 3 in 1 oil on strings and I followed suit.  Early on I began to suspect that 3 in 1 was actually causing string sticking as I was finding pianos that I serviced that had severe string sticking.  I switched to Liquid Wrench with much better results until that brand changed their formula (too smelly).  My current treatment is CLP with a small amount of Marvel Mystery Oil, which I suspect is a rust inhibitor. I have tried graphite (DAG) but with limited results.

I am curious as to what other techs have used and their opinions.  This is a worthy PTJ article.

One issue I have with any of these lubricants (graphite is a special issue) is that the contact of the string and its bearing point is a microscopic area with high pressure and limited access to any lubricant.  The lubes we imagine we are applying might not actually be reaching the contact point.

Oil in a car is a completely different issue, the parts in a car are constantly moving and the moving parts, at least after the car has started up are gliding on a film of oil with no contact between metal parts. Piano strings are not moving parts and there is pure metal to metal contact with no film of oil.  Rust inhibition is another issue.

The exceptions are graphite or molybdenum disulfide applied to the capo bar prior to stringing.  Graphite is made of sheets of carbon with carbon to carbon bonds in two dimensions, as hard as diamonds, but only in a one atom thin sheet.  This makes graphite a perfect high pressure lubricant that is slightly abrasive, diamond hard in one direction and perfectly slippery in the other.  But when I have applied it to pianos with rendering issues I get only limited results.

Perhaps by loosening strings and applying graphite, then pulling back to pitch the graphite might get it to the real contact point, I have not yet tried being this aggressive.

Then there is the issue of steel to brass, with some agraffes that might be made of different alloys of brass (try looking up brass in Wikipedia).  Another complete topic!

Any opinions?  Disagreements?

My grandfather used 3 in 1 oil on strings and I followed suit.  Early on I began to suspect that 3 in 1 was actually causing string sticking as I was finding pianos that I serviced that had severe string sticking.  I switched to Liquid Wrench with much better results until that brand changed their formula (too smelly).  My current treatment is CLP with a small amount of Marvel Mystery Oil, which I suspect is a rust inhibitor. I have tried graphite (DAG) but with limited results.

I am curious as to what other techs have used and their opinions.  This is a worthy PTJ article.

One issue I have with any of these lubricants (graphite is a special issue) is that the contact of the string and its bearing point is a microscopic area with high pressure and limited access to any lubricant.  The lubes we imagine we are applying might not actually be reaching the contact point.

Oil in a car is a completely different issue, the parts in a car are constantly moving and the moving parts, at least after the car has started up are gliding on a film of oil with no contact between metal parts. Piano strings are not moving parts and there is pure metal to metal contact with no film of oil.  Rust inhibition is another issue.

The exceptions are graphite or molybdenum disulfide applied to the capo bar prior to stringing.  Graphite is made of sheets of carbon with carbon to carbon bonds in two dimensions, as hard as diamonds, but only in a one atom thin sheet.  This makes graphite a perfect high pressure lubricant that is slightly abrasive, diamond hard in one direction and perfectly slippery in the other.  But when I have applied it to pianos with rendering issues I get only limited results.

Perhaps by loosening strings and applying graphite, then pulling back to pitch the graphite might get it to the real contact point, I have not yet tried being this aggressive.

Then there is the issue of steel to brass, with some agraffes that might be made of different alloys of brass (try looking up brass in Wikipedia).  Another complete topic!

Any opinions?  Disagreements?