Re: Callisto : aluminum oxide

Hi Drew:

Please take the black finger seriously. That aluminum
stuff is not to be messed around with and has been
linked to altzheimer's. Just what a xenharmonist
needs! What you're describing can lead to some
real absorb-through-the-skin - so here's my solution:

Get a lacquer or wax finish on that neck pronto. Plus
you could end up playing faster. There's a very nice
product called Brewax, which I use as a polish and
protectant for my gongs. It is a wipe-on, buff-off kind
of finish made especially for metals. You'll find it at
Antique stores or maybe at small-town hardware stores.

Alternatively, shoe polish also works very well. Get like
a tan polish and buff in like you were polishing up
any old pair of shoes. You can also use a spray
shoe polish, like those aerosol sheen-spectaculars
for your Marine Dress blues.

You may find that, given the satin finish of aluminum,
a spray-on wax is easier to use. Your choice, but
please don't screw around with the aluminum
crap on your hands. So you're a Xena groupie,
eh?

Rick Sanford
Manhattan

Drew Skyfyre wrote:

> From: "Drew Skyfyre" <drew_skyfyre@yahoo.com>
> One annoying thing is the fingers tending to get a bit black from the
> aluminium. Hope there's no health risk. Gotta be safer than dining in
> Belgium, eh ? ;-)
>

I know this is off topic, but... YIKES!

Shoe polish!? Please, try it out on scrap to be sure that it dries! I
never thought of waxes as forming any kind of durable coating. Jon Catler
recommended 2-ton epoxy for fretless necks for sustain and durability. (or
was it 4-ton?) Nitrocellulose Lacquer is often used as a covering for maple
fretboards on guitars. It's very toxic to spray though, and has limited
durability. Any hard film finish is ton's better than shoe polish.

Two reasons NOT to use shoe polish.

1. I once worked on a cello that had been "tinted" with shoe polish at least
5 years earlier. There were still resinous dusty gobs that could be peeled
off with your fingernail, revealing damaged varnish underneath. Yuck!

2. My brother once painted black stripes on his white goat with shoe polish
to make it look like a zebra for a Halloween party. (no kidding!) The
guests all ended up covered with the black resin.

I have also heard that brass and stainless steel are safer than aluminum.
Stainless steel is used on sarods. Little too late for that suggestion
though.

---
Glen Peterson
30 Elm Street North Andover, MA 01845
(978) 975-1527
http://www.OrganicDesign.org/Glen/Instruments

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick Sanford [mailto:rsanf@pais.org]
> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 9:23 AM
> To: tuning@onelist.com
> Subject: Re: [tuning] Callisto : aluminum oxide
>
>
> From: Rick Sanford <rsanf@pais.org>
>
> Hi Drew:
>
> Please take the black finger seriously. That aluminum
> stuff is not to be messed around with and has been
> linked to altzheimer's. Just what a xenharmonist
> needs! What you're describing can lead to some
> real absorb-through-the-skin - so here's my solution:
>
> Get a lacquer or wax finish on that neck pronto. Plus
> you could end up playing faster. There's a very nice
> product called Brewax, which I use as a polish and
> protectant for my gongs. It is a wipe-on, buff-off kind
> of finish made especially for metals. You'll find it at
> Antique stores or maybe at small-town hardware stores.
>
> Alternatively, shoe polish also works very well. Get like
> a tan polish and buff in like you were polishing up
> any old pair of shoes. You can also use a spray
> shoe polish, like those aerosol sheen-spectaculars
> for your Marine Dress blues.
>
> You may find that, given the satin finish of aluminum,
> a spray-on wax is easier to use. Your choice, but
> please don't screw around with the aluminum
> crap on your hands. So you're a Xena groupie,
> eh?
>
> Rick Sanford
> Manhattan
>
> Drew Skyfyre wrote:
>
> > From: "Drew Skyfyre" <drew_skyfyre@yahoo.com>
> > One annoying thing is the fingers tending to get a bit
> black from the
> > aluminium. Hope there's no health risk. Gotta be safer than
> dining in
> > Belgium, eh ? ;-)
> >
>
>
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