Tarnishing strings

[allegrotj]

Is it possible for new strings to begin to tarnish only one year after restringing in the workshop? The piano was delivered only four months ago ie approx 9 months after restringing, to a room where the humidity levels over the summer have been above 70% most of the time. The treble strings as well as the bass strings are affected. EKA wire was used. Can the humidity affect strings so soon , or has it to do with the quality of the wire used? In other words, how long before one notices tarnish developing in a humid room?

[Colin Nicholson]

Depending on the quality of the steel wire & levels of humidity (and whether kept under control or not) - yes, the strings have tarnished because of the humidity - no other reason - just like a car rusts when it rains & brake discs rust when its damp etc. I am not familiar with EKA wire - I use Rosslau steel wire - good quality, and there are 2 kinds of finish on Rosslau. The blue label wire is just ordinary high tensile steel - uncoated, but the red label has a protective nickel coating on the wire to prevent it from rusting. As strings are also stretched to extremes, in places this coating can come away in small areas, but it also depends on what you paid?

Tarnishing can start almost immediately if the room is damp & cold - then eventually, mostly around the tuning pin areas (as this is closer to the outside of the piano) - they will start to rust.

Bass strings tend not to tarnish as quickly, but if regularly touched with a human hand/finger, sweat and grease can oxidise the copper and make it turn black - usually around the area where the rubber wedges are used (and sometimes the strings being plucked). I would consider having a Dampp chaser fitted (piano heater), and in the summer months, a dry hydroceel tube to absorb any moisture from the air. Your piano tuner should be able to assist....

CN

[allegrotj]

Many thanks, you have been very informative and helpful. Unfortunately I do not have a broken down invoice to see how much the strings cost. I expected Rosslau strings, but after the restoration was told that Early Keyboard Agency wire was used. perhpas they are made by Rosslau? Is it possible for an experienced technician to see by looking at the strings in the piano which wire was used, ie. the coated one or the uncoated one?

Also, could restringing with sweaty hands (without glovess) in a workshop possibly have anything to do with the tarnishing?

[Colin Nicholson]

After doing some research, I doubt if EKA make their own steel strings! I have looked them up, and they seem to be just a restoration centre for pianos, harpsichords etc., but they will probably use Roslau wire (sorry, mis-spelt it - just one 's'). I have never known any restoration centre claiming to engineer their own piano wire? Yes, some make their own bass strings, but the wire and copper is bought-in - they may have a bass string maker.
If you ring them up (google them), they will probably tell you they used blue labelled "polished" wire - its good quality and should last about 20 years or more. I restrung my piano 15 years ago, and no tarnishing yet. Cotton gloves should be worn to put on strings, but sometimes they are removed to form the coil on the tuning pin - but your hands should never come into contact with the bass strings. However in their defence, I doubt if hand sweat would cause excessive or premature tarnishing.

Yes, to the trained eye - I can tell the difference between polished (blue) wire and tin coated (red) wire - the coated wire has a sort of glaze to it - enamel looking. Coated wire is only generally used for top quality pianos, or in the cases of a self-restoration.

In some cases also, it depends on how long their strings have been sat in the box? All packaging should have wax paper covering steel strings. If the packaging has been discarded or lost, and the strings kept on a shelf for several months or years, then just because your piano was re-strung a year ago, does not mean that the strings were freshly manufactured. All of my piano wire has a date stamped on each label - and though I'm afraid to admit it, the date is 18.09.06 !! - so does piano wire have a sell by date? I don't know, but I keep mine well wrapped up in its wrapper, inner wax paper, and each coil is in a round tupperware dish with those snap-on lids......cool!!

You'll never know when the strings were made, how long they have been on the shelf in the restoration centre, who put the strings on your piano, and if he or she had sweaty hands - so not much you can do about it.

[allegrotj]

Thanks so much for all the valuable information Colin, I suspected their strings could possibly be from Roslau but I will give the EKA a ring to find out. As you say, there is not much I can do about the age of the strings and conditions they were kept in before restoration. I can only look after them as best I can from now on, now that the pinao is with me, and will certainly consider a dehumidifying device for the wet summers here.