I applied wd-40 to the piano

[cferrera]

Hello, I am writing from Central America.

I am experiencieng learning how to tune a piano. At fisrt, I didnt have the appropriate tools, so i started tuning with a normal wrench tool. butthe strings were really tight so i decided to Apply WD-40 to all the pins to help me. Now, the problem is that whenever I try to tighten a string the pin turns back.

I dont know if you understand my situation here.

A descrption of wd-40 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

So I need and advice on what to apply to the strings to recover to tuning strenght...

[Colin Nicholson]

How have you 'applied' the WD40? .... have you just sprayed it on the whole area, including the wrest plank/ pin bushings/ opening hole areas where pins enter??

[Johnkie]

Sadly I fear you have ruined the piano, and while in theory most things can be rectified, the cost in this case would not be justified.

[athomik]

Oh-Ohhh.

[Colin Nicholson]

1. Let the oil dry out as best as possible (but may have contaminated the wrest plank)
2. Ring a piano tuner and make an appointment - assuming there is one local?

The pins may be saved by a tuner using a pin setter punch - this helps to prevent the coils from slipping/ opening up whilst 'self tapping' the pins a little.... piano will sound badly out of tune depending on how many loose pins there are

3. Get your tuner to do a rough pre-tuning.... and take it from there. It might work, it might not.

[pianotechman]

I am hearing "fit a new tuning plank here " but if you wanted to save the expense of paying for a tuner, I don't expect you will want to have this job done. Only real way to rectify the problem. sorry

[Colin Nicholson]

Sadly, some posts like this remain un-replied from the original person making the enquiry, just like the new member who decided to take all the strings off their piano, without any measurements or recordings/ stats. In certain embarrassing situations, we never hear from them again!

Central America?? .... I’m quite sure that there are a few tuners out there!

For any new member’s post to receive a related answer to their problem, I think we can only do that if we know more about the piano in the first place. For example, to send a couple of photos of the wrest plank/ iron frame design/ a picture of the whole piano itself/ how much the piano cost/ is it an heirloom? Is it just a project piano?.... and to see if the piano would be worth some of the above suggestions by us guys. If the piano has been rescued from a shed or skip.... or about £10 paid on Fleabay, then leave it alone, and just get another piano.

Again, the following is guess work, unless we can see the piano....

Scenario 1: Piano may be very old, possibly around early 1900s with a ¾ frame and exposed wrest plank, or full frame with exposed wrest plank (the exposed part being like a large oval window).... so that WD40 would easily penetrate through the gaps between the wrest pins and wrest pin hole openings if bushings not fitted.

Scenario 2: Loose wrest pins previously driven in (by a previous piano tuner).... and some of the rear windings on the coils touching the wrest plank or frame, so just acting as a washer/ screw top and will prevent the pin being turned; or rusty strings.

Scenario 3: If the piano has a full frame/ fully protected wrest plank with wrest bushings, this may cause slight damage – even by overdoing spraying WD40, but since only a third of each tuning pin is exposed and protected (the rest of it embedded in the plank), I can’t see WD40 penetrating that far? .... so I reckon its scenario 1 or 2.

In all instances, we need some photos or more information, otherwise we are just talking amongst ourselves.

[Barrie Heaton]

For me 2 options

1) Box of Swan vestas matches... 5th November

2) De-pin keep old Bass strings if pos, ream holes out, fill with epoxy, re drill for 0/0 pins put in 2/0 pins and restring works well, pins are a tad clicky but piano is now tunable and stable.



Barrie

[Feg]

Barrie, option 1 needs a quart of paraffin as well as the box of matches

[Colin Nicholson]

a similar related story.... this chap rang me to ask if I repaired digital pianos - "No, sorry" I replied, but in any case I asked what was wrong (as it could have been something basic). He proudly informed me that most of the function buttons (eg Piano/ Organ/ Tempo) had stuck down, so he decided to spray them using COLD START! mmm ....