COMING EVENTS
APRIL – This months meeting will be held on April 17th at Eric Williams’ house, 1714 Shefield Rd OKC, 73120 at 8:30 AM. From Penn and Britton, go south to Shefield, then turn right (west) to 1714. Call 405-802-9316 if you get lost. The technical will be by David Bonham on, Voicing and Traveling Grand Hammers. See you then!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All anglers are born honest, but they get over it. Ed Zern
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Rain! Rain! Rain! April showers bring may flowers. Mayflowers bring pilgrims. I wonder if the pilgrims told that old joke as they were leaving the boats?
Actually, April showers bring out-of-tune pianos and more work for us. The cold, dry, low inside humidity of this past winter has made way for a very wet spring so far. As we know, the unprotected piano will generally be flat in winter months and sharp in the Spring and Summer months, due to humidity change. So, the pianos we tuned a month or so ago will be out of tune [sharp] now.
It is helpful for our homes to have a humidifier connected to our central heating system, but I believe the best thing for our pianos is to install a full humidifier/de-humidifier system in the piano. Not only will the piano stay in tune better, but it will be less likely to develop structural problems as time goes on.
Many of the older spinets had a factory installed de-humidifier installed in them, which may be fine in states like Florida, where the climate stays humid all year long. But for states like Oklahoma, having a de-humidifier running in the Winter time only adds insult to injury. In other words, it’s probably too dry already, so why dry it out more? Both the humidifier and dehumidifier are needed to keep the level in control.
I think it’s our responsibility as Piano Technicians to educate our customers about the effects of humidity change.
See you at the next meeting!
Bob
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dizzy Dean said:
I ain’t what I used to be, but who the hell is?
Son, what kind of a pitch would you like to miss?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CA for Jumping pins:
I ran into a piano northeast of here that was a Kingsbury 5’ Grand. Probably 20’s
Or so. After cleaning ?” of lent off of the pins I noticed a distinctive greenish goo around the pins in several locations, probably some kind of treatment many years ago. Upon the first tuning pass some pins would not hold at all, in fact the tuning hammer went counter clockwise on its own. In the green slime sections the pins would “jump” sharp or flat making it impossible to tune. I don’t know how, but this piano was used every day for teaching. I was ready to recommend the dumpster solution when I thought, “…ca glue and duct tape work on everything else even on the space shuttle so I wonder what would happen here?” They agreed to the cost even if it did not work and I could not guarantee success. I cleaned up as best I could and got fresh CA and applied it. 2 days later I went back and started tuning. Not only did it hold its tune but the jumping slipping problem was evened out dramatically. I think what happens is it get slicked up in there somehow and the dried ca after turning the pin roughs it up a little. Definitely not perfect but now playable and tunable.
The West System:
After the last convention Ben Davis reported on a class about treating pinblocks with penetrating epoxy. I have had experience with it in repairing rotted wood in a boat transom. It was a very effective permanent fix. At that time I wondered about the possibility of using it on worn pinblocks but had never heard about anyone doing it. My questions about it are 1) How is it applied? 2) Does it cause the pins to jump? Does it bring consistency to the tightness? In a boat transom the epoxy simply follows the grain of the wood and only needs an opening on the top and one on the bottom for gravity to do its thing. You don’t worry about it getting on anything because its not a piano! If anyone has knowledge or experience in this, pros and cons, etc. I’d like to hear about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A piano tuned in 2 minutes
(youtube)
submitted by J. Bruce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yogi Berra says:
I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary.
I never said half the things I said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nominating Committee Report:
The nominating committee consisting of Keith McGavern, Keith Morgan and Jordan Bruce submits the following slate of chapter officers to be presented at the April chapter meeting. All of these individuals have been contacted and have consented to serve. No other nominations were presented to the committee, but can be submitted at the meeting should there be any.
July 2008 thru June 2009
President - Bob Scheer
Vice President - David Bonham
Secretary -Jordan Bruce
Treasurer - Gary Bruce
Newsletter Editor – Blane Morris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Lord's Prayer
(youtube)
by a precious, precocious child
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those receiving the newsletter by snail mail:
If you would like to receive it by e-mail send e-mail address to blcmorr@cox.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
President – Bob Scheer
Vice President – David Bonham
Secretary – Jordan Bruce
Treasurer – Gary Bruce
Newsletter Editor – Blane Morris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“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.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~