I appreciated the two responses so far to my original post concerning
moth damage to piano felts. This is evidently a problem with few
solutions. You would think that after over 150 years, and all of the
new fabrics that have been developed that the industry could come up
with something that is not moth feed.
The 1920 moth-infested Haines player piano that I mentioned in my
original post came from a dance hall in central Nebraska and no doubt
had a few beers spilled on the keyboard. I guess this proves that
moths enjoy beer too!
Because I had the piano back in my shop, I decided to attempt an
effective treatment. The directions on my 10 ounce package of moth
balls said it would kill moths, carpet beetles, moth eggs and moth
larvae and would treat up to 31.2 cubic feet in an enclosed air tight
container when used for seven days. So, I dumped the package of moth
balls into a pan and placed it in the foot pedal area, closed up the
entire piano, placed a blanket over the piano and waited. (2,000 moths
came out with their hands up -- not really!)
Then I read the rest of the package directions which said, "Caution --
this product contains a chemical known to the State of California to
cause cancer."
So now I guess I have the added prospect of dying from cancer or lead
poisoning from working on these old player pianos. I has been a fun
ride though!
Larry Schuette - The Player Piano Man
Raymond, Nebraska
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