•Water-based lacquer (I think the correct term is "waterborne") is my current favorite. It is easily applied using a sponge applicator (available at any paint or hardware store). It can also be sprayed with HVLP equipment. One needn't worry about high humidity. It is rather high in solids, so you do...

•Hi, I wholeheartedly agree with the opinions against storing a piano in a garage, unless you can convert the garage to a humidity and climate controlled area. Still, don't give up -- there are always a couple more options to storing a piano in a garage that most people don't think of but often work...

•I am in the situation where I have to store a Standard player outside my house (too little space, as always). From older postings, I gather that more or less constant humidity is much more important than constant temperature. I even remember someone claiming that it is better to store a piano in a ...

•Yesterday Mr. Bullock asked why there was usually a grounding wire between the motor and the iron pump case, in an electrically pumped piano. When the humidity is low, any v-belt drive will generate considerable static electricity. When both ends of the drive are insulated from one another (as is u...

•Sugar pine is used for the "trackers" on some pipe organs. It is light and has less inertia that some woods, and may have properties regarding stability with humidity changes. The D.A. Flentrop (Netherlands) organ in Seattle, built in the early 1970s, used Oregon sugar pine for connecting the keys ...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Can anyone help me find some graphic or tabular representation of the effect of heat and humidity on pitch as it relates to pipe organ tuning? Charles D. Lightfoote Parsons Pipe Organ Builders Canandaigua, New York [ This is also a concern of fai...

•Charles Lightfoote asked [040716 MMDigest, Compensating Organ Pipe Tuning for Air Density]: >> Can anyone help me find some graphic or tabular representation of >> the effect of heat and humidity on pitch as it relates to pipe organ >> tuning? I have a chart which states pitch variations over a ran...

•Charles D. Lightfoote wrote, "Can anyone help me find some graphic or tabular representation of the effect of heat and humidity on pitch as it relates to pipe organ tuning?" If memory serves, the usual compensation is 6 cents per 1 degree Fahrenheit of change. Applied to the fairground organ (raise...

•I am moving from Mississippi to New Mexico. Does anyone have any advice on preparing pianos/harpsichords for the climate change (humidity from 100% to 0%)? I have an automatic harpsichord and a square grand piano. Any thoughts on preparing the soundboards? Robert B. Lang, Jr. http://www2.netdoor.co...

•Robert Lang wrote in the 05.06.5 MMD: "I am moving from Mississippi to New Mexico. Does anyone have any advice on preparing pianos/harpsichords for the climate change (humidity from 100% to 0%)? I have an automatic harpsichord and a square grand piano. Any thoughts on preparing the soundboards?" On...

•In response to Robert B. Lang's request [05/06.15 MMD], here is what I have found. I moved from stable humidity (Seattle, 55% most of the year) to the desert near Palm Springs, where the humidity is very low, ranging from 12% to an occasional 30%, according to the weather news on TV. It took about ...

•I live at 6300 feet altitude in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. My little Seeburg "L" loves it up here as much as at sea level. The bigger problem with subjecting these instruments to high altitude is the associated lack of humidity. As the wooden parts dry out and shrink, more vacuum is required to feed the l...

•Often I encounter questions from model "A" Ampico owners in regard to leaks in the pneumatic stack. Many of these leaks originate with unit valves. The cause is expansion and contraction during various levels of seasonal humidity, combined with no flexibility of the stiff metal "clamps" (one clamp ...

•To respond to Roger Waring who wrote about floor heating as affecting a Duo-Art, I would suggest getting a good hygrometer, also called a humidity meter. Perhaps the pouches have not shrunk -- it might be that the wood shrinkage caused by lack of humidity has opened gasket leakage. Also, I think th...

•There are a couple of other products you might consider also. If you want to monitor the heat/humidity under the piano there is a product called the Dickson Data Logger. I have mounted this unit in some pianos to record the changes in temperature and humidity for a given period of time. You can the...

•No one has addressed the real problem with "Gorilla Glue". Sign makers use expanded [urethane] foam blanks because it is dimensionally stable. The foam does not shrink or expand with temperature or humidity changes. Wood does! Therefore many people have complained that the joints telegraph or even ...

•In answer to Andrew Ott's recent enquiry about storing music rolls, the best way is to move your collection to Great Britain. We have an atmosphere with ideal temperature and humidity all year round! With best wishes to all, Nicholas Simons

•My home suffered a casualty, specifically water and ensuing mold damage, exposing my collection to high concentrations of mold and swings in humidity and temperature. I am highly sensitive to mold and will likely have to disperse the collection, or my insurer may dispose of it as salvage. The instr...

•Living in the California desert has presented major problems with air quality much of the year. The amount of dust is amazing and the humidity required frequent adjustments of the Duo-Art springs. The softer woods used in the Ampico valves and regulators do not fare well, while the hardwood in the ...

•Greetings fellow enthusiasts, Having given up rebuilding after forty odd years I am now forced to vacate the temperature/humidity controlled environment where I have stored the last of what once was. The pianos consist of good, unrestored complete players. It was my practice to rebuild/replace ever...