Tine Restoration - how to remove the rust

[eyeballspoppin]

I recently acquired a 73 key Rhodes that I plan to restore.

Judging from the condition someone must have really hated this piano.

The tines are all there but they are pretty rusty and corroded. The springs are rusted on.

What is the best method for restoring rusty tines? Do I use regular rust remover? Some sort of chemical bath? Sandpaper? Throw em in the East River and pray on my dead dog's grave?

ALSO:

The screws that hold the harp on are also rusted pretty tight and I haven't been able to remove them.

Right now there's no sound coming from the pickups when I plug it in. They need to be rewired I'm sure. Otherwise there are a few other easily fixable problems.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Ben Bove]

There's not much to do for rusty tines.  Most likely the amount of work you'd put in to make them look good wouldn't have a noticeable affect on the tone.  You can research this forum on rusty tines, though if they're heavily heavily rusted, only sandpaper will knock a metal surface down.

You can also locate a schematic on this site for the correct wiring pattern on pickups for 73 or 88 models.  

Best of luck

[soma]

for the stuck screws, you might try this:

http://www.amazon.com/Radiator-Specialty-L104-Liquid-Wrench/dp/B00002N6TS

It's called liquid wrench.

You should be able to find it at an automotive store, or home improvement shop.

[pianodano]

Try this.

http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/rust.htm


Danny

[jim]

kerosene and very light sandpaper.

might be worth watching ebay for a whole stack of tines to come up though, cause you're never gonna get a lovely tone with tines that are that badly rusted. i know, i've tried.

anyone wanna buy a box of rusty tines? i've got 73 of em!

[Freddan]

Metal sandpaper drenched in Kerosene was the method suggested by the Swedish National Heritage Board's Counsil for restoring of antiques a few years back.
I sent them a tine, asked about the optimal method that wouldn't affect the material and the tone.
Have used it for years with great success. Among the pianos I've done is my own MkV that is now being used by loads of international artists recording at Nilento Studios in Sweden. ( Avisahi Cohen, Joe Sample, Steve Swallow, Ulf Wakenius, Lars Jansson etc..)
We also use it a Clavia when producing sounds for the Nord Electro and Nord Stage.

Good luck,
Freddan

[sjbry]

I have used Wenol polish for cleaning my tines. It seemed to work for me.

[GetWithTheTines]

I'd prefer not to use kerosene, unless people feel strongly that it's the best method. I used a dremel tool with finishing abrasive buffs. I went through about 4 of them to do all 73 tines. It worked great, but it was hard to get in near the base of the tine. I used a scotch brite pad to get in there. It was tedious work, but I was replacing the grommets anyway.

Regarding protecting them afterward: someone mentioned WD-40, but I'm afraid that will leave a sticky film. Not sure about the CRC silicone spray. I have something called "DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Dry, Wax Lubricant". Anyone have a comment on whether it would be good idea to use that? I certainly don't want to use anything that will compromise the tone in any way.

In the photos of some of the restored pianos by Vintage Vibe, the tines look brand new. Chris/Fred: can you enlighten us on what you do to them?

[Fred]

  I hate the smell of kerosene and wd40, so I have always been keen to alternatives, as long as they work. Scotch-brite / sandpaper and Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. Once you get your hands on the latter, you're gonna wanna polish EVERYTHING in sight from your keys to your toaster!

  I have encountered tines (practically irreplacable Raymacs, of course  ) that where so rusted you'd never get rid of all the rust without distorting the tine's shape. If replacement is not an option, get the tine relatively smooth, and apply the Mothers, which at least seems to neutralize the corrosion in such an extreme case.

[GetWithTheTines]

Thanks, Fred! One more question. Do you just use your fingers to pinch the tine with the scotch brite/ sandpaper and rub off the corrosion? I don't know about you, but my hands tire and my fingers get raw awfully quickly when trying to do it that way. That's why I switched to the dremel tool with the abrasive buff, but I think that doing it by hand with the scotch brite does a better job. Maybe you just need to let the Mother's do most of the work if the corrosion isn't that bad?

[Fred]

I've always polished by hand, as you mentioned, but switch to the dremel to get the area where the tine is fixed into the tone generator. You can try some nitrate rubber gloves to protect your hands. So, that and a bottle of wine and the job's almost tolerable Cheers!

[bumpyrhode]

My tines only have a slight amount of surface rust if any. But on rusted/stuck
automotive bolts and screws I use PB Blaster. Has that WD40 kind of smell though.
Works great. I sprayed some exhaust manifold bolts that had a rusty crust on them
and let it set 1/2 hour. Went back and the crust was gone, smooth bolt head
exposed.

The screws on the harp probably have corrosion under the screw head, locking them
to the frame. If moisture wicked down the screw threads you could have corrosion
there too. Spray a little Blaster or WD40 on the screws and give it a few minutes.
Use a good screwdriver to remove. By good I mean the screwdriver or bit has sharp
egdes. This will help get a good bite on the screw and will hold if the screw is still
a little stubborn.   

[GetWithTheTines]

I never remember to use gloves :-) Is it ok to use the Mother's on the pickups as well?

I usually use the dremel tool with a brass brush for that, but I've ruined a few pickups that way (although 2 or 3 out of 73 ain't bad).