This little gem appeared today on another list to which I subscribe,
it will be a boon to those piano restorers who for years have wrestled
with similar problems :

    "I don't know if this will help or not but we live in the Mojave
  Desert and I just restored a 100 year old piano that was severely
  cracked.  I just kept pouring lemon oil on it until the cracks 
  closed up.  It holds a tune now and I don't have to keep a humidi-
  fier or pans of water inside of it anymore.  Every six months you
  are supposed to re-oil the wood.

    "It is similar to the linseed oil and turpentine mix that has been
  used for centuries with furniture, etc.  I just think that the lemon
  oil smells nicer.  The linseed oil though would probably do a better
  job."

I'll bet Craig Brougher didn't know that clever dodge.

John Farrell
stridepiano@tesco.net