Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
28
JANUARY 22, 1927
The Technical and Supply Department—(Continued from page 27)
volume and becomes less elastic. As the bot-
tom portion of the film becomes cold it also
shrinks in volume and may cause the varnish
to show hair-line cracks. If the changes of tem-
perature are sufficiently severe, or if they are
repeated frequently enough, the hair lines may
develop into checks or cracks.
This is the reason that a heavily varnished
article, such as a piano, should be carefully pro-
tected with a cotton-flannel cover, newspapers,
or some such material to protect the finish from
sudden changes in temperature during ship-
ment in cold weatiier. The finished article
should be moved gradually from one tempera-
ture to another, that is, it should not be sub-
jected to any extreme change in temperature in
a short space of time. Care should be taken in
transferring the finished product from a warm
factory or warehouse to a cold shipping plat-
form or box car. Equal care should be taken in
bringing the article into a warm room from a
cold atmosphere, to prevent condensation of
moisture on the cold surface.
I'ianos and similar objects should not be
placed directly next to a cold outside wall in the
home, because of the danger of sudden changes
in temperature. Neither should they be left in
;i r oo ni that is heated only occasionally, as the
finish will become quite cold when the room is
unheated and will quickly warm up again when
the room is heated. Particularly is this condi-
tion bad on the finish if the room is heated by
means of a stove or open grate, which may al-
low the heat rays to strike the finished surface
directly. Exposure to the hot rays of the sun
may also help promote checking or cracking.
It is these repeated changes in temperature or
moisture content that start the finish on the
road to deterioration, in many cases. The first
time the finish undergoes a change of tempera-
ture there are probably no visible ill effects.
After a few repetitions, however, hair lines may
begin to form in the finish while it is cold and
apparently disappear when it is warmed up
again. In reality, these hair lines are slill
present, but the expansion of the finish under
the influence of heat has reduced their size and
made them invisible to the naked eye. They
become visible again when the finish becomes
cold and after several repeated changes they
may finally develop into large checks and
cracks.
Another condition which might cause check-
ing, is the use of an improper polish or clean-
ing compound on the finished article after it is
in the home. This might cause a softening of
the film or might rob the finish of its elasticity
and cause checking or cracking with changes of
temperature or moisture content.
In spite of all precautions, it is well to re-
member that no finish or finishing material will
last forever. Finishing materials are applied to
wood and metal surfaces to protect and beautify
them. These protective coatings must fight the
elements constantly to give immunity to the
wood or metal on which they are applied. In
carrying on this fight, naturally, the protective
coating must be affected to a certain extent be-
cause it must rebuff the destructive agencies
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piaao T u b e . Kp« aad Rwtd Oriaa
aid Player P i u * . Tear B»«k Fora.
27-29 Gainsboro Str««t
BOSTON. MASS.
Tuners
and Repairers
Our new illustrated catalogue of Piano and
Player Hardware Felts and Tools is n*w
ready. If you haven't received your espy
please let us know.
OTTO R. TREFZ, JR.
2110 Fairmount ATC.
PkiU., Pa.
which otherwise would destroy the wood or
metal itself. Naturally, it cannot survive for-
ever in this deadly battle unless it is reinforced
occasionally.
Now that lacquers and durable enamels have
been perfected, they come nearer to lasting for-
ever than any finishing materials heretofore
used. Especially are lacquers well suited in pre-
venting checking and cracking. As they dry by
evaporation alone there is very little chemical
change in the structure of their film with age.
Under severe conditions similar to some of
those mentioned above, however, even lacquers
have been known to crack.
Almost ever since varnish has been used for
finishing furniture and other wooden objects,
there have beer, various formulae tor making
so-called "crack amalgamators" for removing
checks and cracks which may appear in the
finish, due to exposure to extreme cold, to ab-
sorption of moisture or other causes which re-
sult in checking and cracking Some of the
crack amalgamators work quite satisfactorily,
others are practically of no use.
Since the advent of heavy body clear wood
lacquers, it has been found possible to apparently
entirely remove these checks and cracks so that
they do not come back again. Almost all manu-
facturers of pianos and furniture have a cer-
tain number of checked or cracked pieces which
are returned to them from time to time to be re-
finished. The only safe method heretofore for
doing this has been to entirely remove the old
finish, scraping down the work carefully and
completely refinishing as though the object had
never been finished before. The trouble with
this system has been that it was necessary to
restain the work or at least retone it, which
often resulted in the color of the finish not be-
ing an exact match for the original color, which
in some instances is not satisfactory to the cus-
tomer.
Checked and cracked panels have been re-
finished with lacquer in the following manner:
First dip a cloth in lacquer reducer and go over
the cracked surface, applying just enough of
the reducer to thoroughly wet the surface, but
not enough to cause it to raise and blister up
as though paint and varnish remover had been
applied. Let this stand for several moments
until thoroughly dry. Then sand the checks and
cracks with fine sandpaper, to clean up the work
thoroughly and partially remove some of the
checks and cracks. Then apply three or four
coats of wood lacquer, reducing the first coat
slightly to aid it in drying faster and thus pre-
venting it from softening up the old finish un-
derneath and acting as a paint and varnish re-
mover. The following coats after the first one
should be used full body. As the work is being
refinished with lacquer the cracks and checks
would still be evident, but as the lacquer dries it
contracts and pulls the checks and cracks to-
gether so that they gradually disappear. After
the last coat of lacquer has dried overnight," the
work can be rubbed and polished if desired, to
reproduce the original finish.
This method of removing checks and cracks
does not disturb the original color of the work,
does not necessitate the removing of the old
finish and apparently produces a durable finish
which does not later show up the old checks
and cracks. In fact, panels have been treated
by this method and exposed to alternate cold
weather and room temperature for several days
without any signs of these checks and cracks
reappearing. As a general rule, however, it is
better to completely remove the old finish if it
is badly cracked, as this is the only really sure
method of curing this trouble and preventing it
from recurring once the piano has required re-
finishing.
Under date of January, 1927, the National
Hardwood Lumber Association has issued an
eighty-five-page pocket edition of rules for the
measurement and inspection of hardwood lum-
ber, cypress, veneers, thin lumber and plywood.
Copies may be had from association headquar-
ters, 2008 Straus Bldg., Chicago, 111.
Tuners Carrying Case
LIGHT—COMPACT—SERVICEABLE
Weighs Only 6 Pounds
Outside measurements 15j^ inches long, 7
inches wide, 8 inches high.
No. 150—Covered with seal grain imitation
leather. Each $13.00
No. 200—Covered with genuine black cow-
hide leather. Each $20.00 F.O.B. New York.
When closed the aluminum
trays nest together over the large
compartment, which measures
13£/ 8 " x 6" x 4". The two left hand
trays measure 13^8" x 2%" x \y%
and the two right hand trays 137/g"
x 3y 4 " x \y%. The partitions in
right hand trays are adjustable or
may be removed. Case is fitted
with a very secure lock and solid
brass, highly nickel-plated hard-
ware.
We have a separate Department to take care of special requirements
of tuners and repairers. Mail orders for action parts, repair materials,
also tuning and regulating tools are given special attention.
Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co.
Piano and Player Hardware, Felts and Tools
New York Since 1848
4th Ave- at 13 th St.