Crude Oil for Piano Finishes
By Bob and Sonja Lemon
John Tuttle asks about a crude oil finish.
This may have been Old English polish. It seems everyone dealing with antiques used it to cover scratches. We've also heard of using crude oil, but the oily residue would prevent proper bonding of any new finish applied over it. We have stripped pianos and found dark oily lines where the original finish had cracked. We assumed this could have been "crude oil" or Old English.
An acceptable touch up material can be made from a mixture of asphaltum and solvents, such as naptha. This was actually used as a staining medium in years past. An easy source for asphaltum is roofing cement. A quart container will give you enough coloring for at least 100 pianos!
Bob Lemon
Lemon's Player Piano Service
Sacramento, CA |
(Message sent Thu 13 Feb 1997, 00:52:54 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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