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Hi again

The finish on my mahogany Steinway O is in very nice shape. However, there are some swirl marks in the finish, when the light its it at certain angles. Apparently the result od prior polishing sttempts that were less than perfect.

Is there a wax that I can use to smooth out the finish? Like simonizing a car's finish? I do have piano polish by Cory, but it doesn't seem to address the swirls.

As always, your input is appreciated.

Brian

It will need to be addressed with polishing compounds not wax. You really aught to consult with a good touch-up artist as you can screw this up really fast if you aren't knowledgeable. Swirls are less bad than a buffed through/burnt finish.

The cory will not be aggressive enough to remove swirls. It is only for maintenance of an already good finish.

A couple of examples of fine cut polish are Brasso and regular toothpaste (not the gel kind). Remember that Brasso has a small amount of wax in it, and be careful of the contour edges.
There is another one made by Turtle wax (rubbing compound) which may work if the piano is black.
Of course with any polishing compound try a small area in an out-of-the-way place first. Swirl lines in any lacquer finish are not necessarily made by a previous polishing.

Technically,you have a hand rubbed lacquer satin finish(from your pics) so....there shouldn't be any swirl marks in that you don't buff a satin finish. Now the exception being like Steinways "lustre" finish whereas they buff the finish ever so lightly to a semi gloss. As Dale said ,it is very easy to burn thru a lacquer finish with a buffer. Actually one can buff out this piano ever so carefully without no compound at all.

You bought your piano from a dealer so... I would have thought they would know how to detail a hand rubbed satin finish as in "rub it out with steel wool or ?

Pianobroker, I did buy it from a dealer, and they did do work on the finish before they delivvered it. I didn't see the rub marks in the showroom, and even in my home, it isn't noticeable except if partiular areas under particular lighting conditions. Do you think I am making too big a deal out of it?

If your piano is neither dead flat nor full shiny, the devil you know may be better than the devil you don't. Any attempt to "improve" it without knowing exactly how it came to be the way it is will put the part you touch into a different state, at which point you'll have to do the whole thing for it all to match. If you can use the original materials in the original way, you have a chance, but you don't like what they did, so I doubt you will do better without any experience. Since it's something that you only see in certain lighting, I'd leave it.

I agree Michael. At this point, I'm going to leave it alone. Thanks!

one idea that might not be harmful is "brushing" the finish. On the hand- rubbed satin finishes with a linear rub pattern one can use a CLEAN natural bristle good quality paint brush to rapidly brush back and forth over any small defect in the rub pattern. This will even it out. The technique is to brush fast and lightly on each area.

The point I was trying to make was that a hand rubbed lacquer satin finish is suppose to have perfectly straight steel wool or ? fine stridations. Swirl marks are evidense of a circular buffing or polishing. One never really buffs a satin finish except for maybe a initial semigloss and even that, one can hand rub out a piano whereas it looks shinier without a buffer. The finer the stridations the shinier it becomes in that those scratches show white making it more satin looking. There is an art to hand rubbing out a piano satin to perfection.

PB, the piano is not a satin finish, but a semi-gloss or more like a gloss finish. This is a Tiger Mahogany piano, which was refinished by Steinway NY.

From looking at your pics,I would say it is most definitely a satin finish.Of course,it is whatever you want to call it but in the industry...

This is an example of a traditional satin finish on a piano we just finished.As you notice it still has a reflective quality due to the rubbed out clear coat over the color/stain. Your piano looks somewhat like this.You can see the final stage steel wool stridations even on your piano.

http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/SteinwayBRemanufactured001.jpg

Now this pic is of a traditional satin finish which we buffed it ever so lightly which Steinway calls the "lustre" finish or semi gloss. Excuse the dust!

http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/DSC00032.JPG

This is an example of a reveneer / highgloss polyester finish we did


http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/SteinwayChippendaleMandartcases001.jpg

As always, right you are, PB. he finish would be the stain finish. Would you recommend rubbing with with 0000 steel wool?

As I mentioned prior satinizing a piano is a fine art.The goal is to make your stridations perfectly straight (using a straight edge)and make them so fine as for hardly noticing them. Larger areas as in the lid and or flylid are very difficult even for the pros. On a small area 0000 steel wool with a lubricant: water,paint thinner or ? would work ex. arms of the piano,keyslip,propstik etc. Good luck

PB, I'll pass on doing the work myself. I don't trust my skill level. Thanks again.