“All expression of opinion and all statements of supposed fact are published on the authority of the author as listed and are not to be regarded as expressing the view of this chapter or the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the chapter or the Piano Technicians Guild, Inc.”
Norm’s Noncents
First let me apologize for the late nature of this month’s newsletter. I could make excuses but I learned a long time ago that an excuse can be defined as: “a lie wrapped in a reason.” Therefore I will not make an excuse but an apology is due.
If you are like me you receive several calls from time to time soliciting business in one form or another. These range from people asking for donations to support law enforcement and their efforts to keep kids off the street by taking them to the circus, to people wanting me to invest my hard earned millions in some oil and gas well off the coast of Bermuda. I constantly get a recorded message from a satellite TV service which I am still trying to figure out how to hook up in my service vehicle so I can watch the news while driving down the freeway. (I think there are laws preventing me from actually implementing this idea.) One of my pet peeves is when a computer calls and hangs up just as I answer the phone. I have come up with a new approach to deal with these folks.
I have for years forwarded my business phone to my cell phone when I am out of the office/shop. This saves a lot of time in returning messages and playing phone tag in general. My cell phone is equipped with caller ID. When I get a call from one of these computer entities I go to the call log and call them back. If I am fortunate to get a live person I use one of two options. I can simply hang up to allow them to experience the joy I just had or better yet I have begun to ask the receptionist if they would like to have the piano tuned at their office. This is just a simple reciprocal business relationship. I am generally very fair on my price but I do charge a reasonable fee for travel. Yesterday I received a call with a New York area code. For some reason they found the $3000.00 trip charge objectionable. The receptionist did have a chuckle with me and I asked to be place on their “no call” list for the future.
Keep your powder dry and your vehicle shinny side up.
Norman Cantrell, RPT
Technical Tip
Many of us have been using CA glue for some time for various repairs to pianos and their actions. It is not real good for gluing felt of any kind but it is very useful in a lot of situations. Often when you open the new bottle of “super glue” the first thing is that you snip off the tip of the applicator tip resulting in glued fingers and the like. Inevitably the tip clogs or worst the bottle is tipped or inverted and the super glue leaks on to areas it is not intended to reach. When you buy a new bottle keep the new sealed tip and switch the previous tip to the bottle while you are using it. When you are finished re-install the new sealed tip back on the bottle to prevent spillage. This will also help prevent moisture from entering into the bottle and increase the shelf life of the CA glue. This came from Gary Neie’s class Hospital for Hopeless Pianos.
Upcoming Events
The next scheduled chapter meeting is Thursday September 21 at 8:30 a.m. at the shop of Ben Davis. Ben will be discussing Bridge repairs and problems associated with bridges and aprons. The title of the technical is not known but it probably will not be “The Bridge on the Piano Kawai” as some have suggested. It may be known as “A Bridge to Far” or even the “Bridges of Oklahoma County.” Come and find out the exact title.
Directions: From I 35 and Memorial travel east 18 miles to Harrah Rd. Be sure at the first “Y” in the road that you turn right and go under the I44 bridge. At Harrah Rd. turn south 1 mile to 122nd and then turn East. Travel 1/8th of a mile to a gravel road on the north named Coffman. Turn north then left on Silver Circle. Ben should have some type of sign posted where you turn. Ben’s place is on the cul de sac.
Associates Seminar: There is still room available for the Associates Seminar in Kansas City at the Home Office. The cost is $149.00 for one and one half days of hands on instruction. The dates are September 22 & 23. Norman Cantrell will be traveling to Kansas City as an instructor so there is a possibility to car pool and save some travel expense. The information is available at the PTG website. You can access it directly by going to ptg.org/upcomingEvents.php.
Texas State Association is hosting their annual seminar in Richardson, TX. The dates are October 5-8. You have probably received some information in the mail by now. You can visit their website at ptg.org/tsa for the latest information regarding prices and hotel accommodations. This looks to be a great seminar with many quality instructors. Since the annual institute was held in Rochester this past summer this is an affordable way to gain some great instruction at a reasonable cost.
Oakie Doakie Piano Supply
This month we are proud to offer several boxes of used piano supplies. These items have been recycled from some of the finest uprights around. Most of the felt parts are completely intact but there may be some slight moth and rodent damage to edges and corners of things like front rail punchings. The reality is that these are almost always out of sight of your customer so a slight blemish that is “only cosmetic” won’t really hurt anyone. Besides there is a real push by the Green Earth people to recycle as much as possible.
Used Front Rail Punchings (various thicknesses call for availability) $2.00 per 100
Used Balance Rail Punchings (same as above) $1.75 per 100
Used Hammers–Partial sets (some reboring may be required) $50.00 per set
Used Hammers–Complete sets (same as above) $75.00 per set
Used Bridle straps (Various colors and tip styles call for availability) $3.39 per set
Many more parts too many to list Call today and place your order.
Oakie Doakie Supply helping recycle yesterday’s pianos today!!!