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A friend of mine had a note that was a bit stiff and the note did not always sound when the key was depressed. I am told that their piano tuner fixed the note by applying WD-40. Is there anything inside the piano for which applying WD-40 would be helpful and a good idea? Should I be recommending a different person service their piano on this basis?
Best,
Steve O.
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WD-40? I can think of better spray-lubes for certain uses, but it's hard to know what the right call should've been without knowing what the tech was lubricating. I can't think of anything I would've lubed with WD-40 that would have to do with key travel. If the key bushing was too tight it should be eased, and tight pins of other sources of friction would require fixes rather than lube-jobs. Can someone help me, am I forgetting something??
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It sounds like he was probably putting it in action centers and WD-40 is NOT a good lube for the application. A proper lube would be something like Protek which has no petroleum distillates, and after a brief evaporative period is actually just a dry TFE film with an anti-verdegris agent. It is made for pianos.
Yeah, I would say get rid of someone who is spraying WD-40 into piano actions. It could well gum up later, or travel and loosen stuff you don't want loosened. I would only use WD-40 for metal-metal joints well away from the piano guts- like perhaps a caster. Keep it away from wood, felt, leather.
Regards,
Rick Clark
Rick Clark
Piano tuner-technician
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Thanks Rick, That's basically what I was thinking.
I also use Protek, and find it to be useful for this application and others.
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Pet peeve alert.
I don't like to slam a product in a public forum but the WD-40 folks bring this on themselves by condoning its use for everything under the sun. An employee's husband sprayed some in the ignition lock cylinder of her car because the key was sticking. The cylinder had to be replaced a couple of weeks after that.
The only thing I would use it for is as a quick penetrating solvent for disassembling something that's rusty and seized. Junk in other words.
When not working with junk there are so many excellent solvents and lubricants to choose from today that there's no excuse for not using something that's just right for the job. Call or e-mail the manufacturers if you have questions about a product. They can tell you exactly what the appliactions are.
Rant over.
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Does that mean I shouldn't have used duct tape on my cracked soundboard?
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Steve,
I don't criticize WD 40. It has its applications and they certainly don't tell you to squirt it in your piano. A piano tech should know what to use and where, and WD 40 is widely known in piano tech circles as an unadvised substance in piano actions (along with other petroleum based lubes or silicone products.) However there are always those self-taught or DIY types whose "education" consists of nothing more than the Reblitz book and are not in the knowledge loop, and these can be pretty bad techs sometimes.
BTW, there's one in the SD area pretty famous for literally ruining pianos by incompetent application of lubes. He's the only tech I have ever heard of drummed out of the PTG for plain incompetence, and unwillingness to change. I've known of non-PTG techs to do that kind of stuff, but he was the first PTG tech I ever heard of doing it. Watch out. (I hear he doesn't charge much though.)
Regards,
Rick Clark
Rick Clark
Piano tuner-technician
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The guy you're referring to did his thing with my mother-in-law's old baby grand a few years ago. It is now a piece of furniture that used to be a piano.
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My grandfather used to spray his fish bait with WD-40. Apparently trout love the stuff.....
Thanks, Novalis
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WD 40 does not belong near a piano. PROTEK or another lube made for action centers is the only thing that should be used. Putting a petro product into felt makes no sense. There are lots of uses for WD40 but not in, around or near pianos. Don't let anyone near your piano if they show up with WD 40
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