As to the matter of other technicians' work: save the cussing for the
hallowed walls of your own shop.  I know how tough this can be since
I am in my thirties and have removed miles of slimy surgical tubing and
scraped off Troy tons of Perflex.  Remember, many fine technicians were
fooled by and lured into using such materials as well as the myriad of
"Grandpa Otis and Uncle Phils" that used anything on hand to get 'er
goin' again.

You could find yourself in an awful embarrassing situation by ruthlessly
condemning the beloved relative your prospective client just buried.
What's even worse -- I hate to say I did this once -- is to continue to
yammer away at how the stupid Dinglefritz screwed everything up only to
find out the stupid Dinglefritz is the one that would've paid you to
fix it and you're now receiving a butt-first exit out the front door.

Think about it.  For what reason would a person go to the trouble of
scraping down a pouch board and lay down such a poor substitute like
Perflex?  Because it was thought to have worked.  And for awhile did.

Remember when Universal Players of the 'Eighties had all their aluminum
stacks pouched in Perflex?  When PPCo sold pre-formed pouches of it?
These are merely two examples of companies which wouldn't think of
ruining the fun of our sacred roll playing devices but probably did for
a lot of people -- not out of animosity or greed, but because they were
duped into thinking "modern technology" had decreased cost and increased
longevity.

Now who in this forum wants to stand up and say, "I've never once made
a mistake on any player I ever worked on...?"  I'll bet no one here
will.  And that's the one of the very best things about MMD and its
contributors: the collective experience of all, can help the one.

There was one self-proclaimed piano technician around here awhile ago
that couldn't have found middle C if you'd stapled it to his forehead.
Having eventually learned some "graceful tact" in the art of "other
technicians' work" I soon found out why this person was so often hired
and the physical concerns that led to such ineptness.  Because I chose
my words carefully and pulled this person's butt out of the fire I made
everyone happy.  Due to the fact I "saved face" for this person's
mistakes and satisfied the piano owners I was compensated from both
ends.  I needn't explain the moral of the story; just remember, "What
goes around..."

Eric J. Shoemaker
Tacoma, Washington