Gene, yes Target is nice stuff. Have u used the spray on filler? It's tricky. Dries very hard. Haven't got the hang of it yet but I like the idea.
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No - however, after trying to completely fill mahogany grains I am considering some type of filler. Is it clear?

Just purchased some Koenig polyester for touch up. Black poly with hardener and reducer - will touch up with an air brush. Reducer is used similar to lacquer thinner and nitro lacquer - I will find out soon enough as this is my first attempt.

With Koenig, if it is cold you may warm it a little (not too much as it fasten it) but also mix well the resin, that mean no stirring but rolling slowly the bottle so the bottom can mix with the top - avoid bubbles - live it to rest a while anyway before using it.

To avoid bubbles , after having put th 2-3 dorops max of black stain, stirr to the max, then wait 20-30 sec, dont use it immediately. you will probably see some bubbles then.

Wash the inside of the zone with compressed air then acetone to get rid of the whitened zone due to the sanding (that is why it is better to use a blade to finish the preparation, less white).very smooth cup shape on the edges allow the poly to mix with the other under it.

I mask around the zone with thin braun adhesive tape, that will resist to water sanding and show me when I'll be really almost flat (the thickness of the adhesive only remains.

I make an aperture in a plastic sheet for sanding, to protect around the zone (then no need to cover all around with masking tape. it can be worked with a blade also but it is longer, there are special scrapers for polyester , but I never seen one. the Koenig can be rubbed and polished, in the end it is almost invisible. Nevertheless it is sold more as a reparir product and not a finishing product (not to be sprayed).
That one contains parafin, that have to be washed (aceton) from the surface before sanding or adding a new layer.

It is worth knowing how to use it, I could repair very ugly marks on some grand lids that where really not visible afterthat. the use of a good polish (not full of silicone !) because it add a very thin layer in the end, help to have a glossy surface (protect from dust) and hide any micro defect that is yet on the surface.
good luck : Koenig is the one that was or is yet used for German Steinways. the black dye is very good.

Best

May be you did not buy the same product than me, I use 1 liter resin bottles and hardener in paste plus black special dye.

what is 'reducer ?"

Kamin, I did not state the product or situation correct. I am using Koenig polyester repair on a Schimmel lid. The edge repair accidently penetrated into the undercoat slightly and it is quite soft and will not polish. Rather than continue to do repairs as there is not much finish on the edges, I purchased an Ebony Acrlyic Topcoat from my Koenig supplier for touch up. It has hardener and reducer. They said it sprays on and I assumed it was the same as the polyester finish.

Well it may be more worth the try to ask directly Schimmel which products are used then, could be useful to others.

I never traced a too soft polyester (cannot polish) to that kind of problem, only if I use too much dye or too much harderner paste also.

Very possibly Koenig sell the most up to date products of course.

Please tell us how the Acrilyc top coat grip on the underside finish, that is interesting to know.

the edges are the most difficult part to repair, for sure. Being able to spray with an airbrush may be a must.

Professional polyesters are sold with hardener, reducer and solvent (instructions depend of air moisture and of the use , I have instructional data sheet but never done it myself).

Many colleagues are looking for a polyester to be sprayed by themselves, as I have been told some polish restorers know how to do without a special place.

But to have real professional result and avoid health hazard, a spraying both is necessary, not a cheap thing.

The representatives of the polyester brand when I met him in the shop wher I buy varnishes told me that the top coat could be urethane now, may be he wanted to say Akril Urethane.

But he state also that the top coat was "piano polyester" (mean : very glossy and hard), while the underside was a black polyester primer .

I believe that several finish types will adhear to polyester. A friend used a clear water base acrylic lacquer over polyester and it worked very well on an inner rim. I attempted this with the same water base acrylic in black on the Schimmel lid and adheasion was not a problem. The problem was polishing. There was a distinct line where polyester ended and water base acrylic begin and it could not be removed.
This is when I had a talk with my Koenig supplier. Hopefully the sovlent based topcoat that they supplied will not have this issue.

And you are correct in your belief.Poly can be used as a base for a variety of products. Some however will only produce a mechanical bond.

Gene the spray filler goes on a milky white and dries clear. Mist coats. As u probably know that's the trick with water base. Lots of light coats, enough set up time and it fills quickly. The trick with the spray on filler is the squeege. Spray it on, squeege it across grain to fill pores, set up and spray again. Can't leave ANY pile up along squeege ends because it dried very hard and sand out becomes uneven. Haven't got the routine down to my liking but it shows promise.

I am really lost, I understood that he sold you a water based acrylic product, it is a solvent based top coat, but it is Acrylic as well ? is it what is now used on cars ? But the solvent is non toxic and does not evaporate.

I am not capable to understand the technical words for finishing when in English (furnisher web site) . Too bad, it is as with chemicals the words are sounding similar to mean something different !

Yesterday was my first commercial tuning, unsolicited, not an acquaintance. Went well, was a 1-year-old 42.5" Pearl River. They mentioned that it had a ”sticky key” that failed to exhibit the problem in my presence. Hoping for more to come...

This past weekend I pulled my S&S A out of the paint booth and am reassembling. Will post pics along the way. By first piece.

I'm slowing down (intentionally) now after the first of the year. I'm still booked a month in advance but, am 'only' tuning 4 a day right now, 3 on some, 5 on other days. I'm working at my college again this week. Nice relaxing pace right now.... I can finally keep up!

Only did 2 today because of slick roads. One Schimmel 7' with 2 sticking jacks, and a Kawa RX-1 10 years old and never been tuned. Half tone pitch raise and a fine tune. Then some paper work and scheduling.

I was just thinking yesterday about how I rarely have a chance to practice string splicing or tying a 'tuners knot'. This is one of the first things I learned how to do when I started out as a piano tuner. I'm very glad it is something that I learned how to do because it has saved me a few times. I would practice using bread- ties with the paper covering removed just to remember how the bends go. The last piano of the day was an old Sherman Clay console with very bent tuning pins. It was only 10 cents flat so I'm going along from A1 down to A0 and back up to the tenor and KER---SNAP! the first wound string at the tenor break broke at the coil. "Oh good, time to polish up the knot tying skills".
Two holes in the thumb and a few pints of blood later and she was up and running again. I enjoy doing that repair for some strange reason.

5 today.
P-22 for a historic little church that served as a Civil war union battle hospital.

Everett Grand circa 1915 with tight jacks. 1st dose of CLP got most 2nd dose the rest. House was in a gated community, at the end of a cul-de-sac, up a steep drive to a big brick house. Drove my RAV4 60ft up the snow covered drive, lady was outside spreading salt. We go in, I go to work, she comes back white as a ghost. "You won't believe this: Your car slid all the way down the drive to the street. No damage, just sitting there at the end of the drive." So there it sat till I was done.

Krell-French Upright barely alive.

Kawai studio in Episcopal Church.

Yamaha G3 in High School vocal.

All dry and flat.

Forgot one: SD10 for big Baptist church. 6 today.

I did five...but it was pretty much a dog day, except for a brand new Kawai K-3 upright.

A 1928 Schumann Grand, really close to being in tune...60c flat! Given the rust on the strings and pins, 440 was not an option. Left it at 424.5

Rental conversion Wurlitzer console

Schiller upright that came from Nebraska, and was signed by many tuners over the decades

Quite possible the worst piano I've seen in some time, a Westbrook spinet, yet another rental converstion.

Ah yes, Westbrook. I have a church that has many nice pianos and 1 Westbrook spinet. All are tuned every 6 and the Westbrook is either wildly sharp or wildly flat. I've told them many times the wreck would make a fairly decent boat anchor.

I went to the Noontime Concert, where somehow I was picked out to help move the piano. It was French cello music.

Then I went to tune a very nice Janssen studio for the sister of a very famous movie star who died fairly young. There was a photograph of her with her arm over her head, and I could not help but think despite the tragedy of her untimely demise that it was fortunate that she died before she began to have trouble holding her arm like that. The sister was charming, and gave me some cookies, according to Russian holiday tradition.

5 again today. Everett studios, Baldwin studios and Kawai UST-8's. Tuned last in September, RH was 52 % now 18 %.

You know the pianos I have always enjoyed tuning? Maybe I'm just slightly prejudiced here, but they are the older Everett studios that were built in South Haven Michigan. We used to have a lot of these pianos at my college. We've replaced many of the oldest and most worn out ones yet, we still have quite a few left. They are now 45-50 years old and still holding up strong. They don't look so red hot anymore thanks to the little kiddies but they are solid pianos.

Some others that we still have left there are the older Baldwin and Hamilton studios also about 45-50 years old. All of them are fairly nice tuning and quite solidly built pianos over all I think back in those days.

Just about all of those old studios were pretty good. I thought the Janssen was a pretty good model for Charles Walter to build his business on.

Have an Janssen that I handed down to my great Niece to play. Now I find myself doing maintence on it.... how come it was never done for me when I played...uhm

Everetts were always dandy. Those steel post versions were a killer to move!

8 today.
Nice Acro console.
Nordiska Studio.
Lovely old Geo. Steck grand, all original, perfect set of ivories. Lady had her humidifiers going stong and the piano was on the fork.
Kimball spinet.
SS D and 5' Estonia in Methodist Ch. Last year church put in pipe organ and spent 12K on sancturary humidity control. Music director and I share a passion for wine and he gave me a belaed Xmas present of Chateau Neuf. DEEELIGHTFUL.
Baldwin grand I recondititoned and sold 28 years ago and tuned yearly since.
Krakhaur Console circa 1939, beautiful case and ivories. Owner had the original paperwork. Was 1/2 step flat and did a pitch raise.

I liked these alot, and even owned one. Solid pianos, good value, pleasing sound and touch.

I did 3 yesterday. Nice day! 1 UST-8. 2. Story & Clunk, er, Clark studio, not a nice tuning piano. 3. Yamaha U 1 made in Japan. Love those pianos.

Nine yesterday, 6 today (# 7 wasn't tunable) 9 to tune on Sunday, 5 on Monday, and Tues/Wed shop work/off/no tunings/yea.

My day, drilled two Steinway pinblocks and sold a piano.
Think I'll call it a day.

Same here...Jane's got me booked solid into Feb, but I'm travelling 4 days per week, and booking around 5 per day it seems...a VERY nice pace after a Christmas rush that can only be described as insane.

But today...Saturday...I was underneath an M&H Ampico reproducer, doing the final touches before delivery later this month. So, my day was spent trying to avoid the cute lickings of my husky-shepherd Luna, who finds my lying on the floor under a piano simply irresistable.

YMMV

RPD

I've been taking Zicam since Wednesday...every 3 hours...Today was spent eating...watching football. So far my cold is not progressing, so I think I started the Zicam early enough. Colds are a huge problem for me. Fortunately, I don't get them very often. I live and tune in an area with big elevation changes. So, if I'm stuffed up and drive to an area lower in elevation...the ears plug...and "there ain't no tunin' when that happens."

Went to a class on aural tuning taught by Richard Bittner RPT.
He came down to S.D. CAL. from the NAMM show to share his knowledge with us here. A very fine tuner and a great guy.

I've spend most of my time in the workshop, lately, giving tunings to a friend, as I have 2 grands together to work on and am abit late on one of them. Thats OK for me , as I have suffered from diverse flu those last months, plus avoiding the transportation in car or motorcycle in Paris town is cool , only misses me the contact with customers.

Yesterday I bring back together at the pianists place all the parts of a Yamaha U1 vertical with silent system installed that had to be dismounted when he moved. keyboard/keybed apart, sides, silent system.

After putting all together, a new setup of the keyboard sensors is necessary (even if basically they are yet working). I is very easy to do - one record the condition of the sensor without the keys, then with the keys at rest, the, each key is pushed lightly top record the bottom position.

The sides are glued but very easy to dismount, things fall in place easely in the other direction.

Some old houses here have very tight stairs, because an elevator have been added for instance. The movers are very good to spin the grand pianos on the tail, or verticals on an edge to pass tight corners, but there is a limit. then the verticals have to be taken apart only to enter the flat.