mmm Piano Anyone?!

[Wilco]

Hi guys,

as i finished detailing a m8's car with the DA, i was asked if i could do the same with his piano. though its not black, its a dark red wood oak colour and with a clear coat (or some type of coat) that has alot of swirls/cobwebs.

how do i go about this? if anyone approves of me doing so anyway lol.

i was initially thinking Scratch X with DA, then topped with #7 and then nxt 2.0, however from the searches on MOL i found nothing much other than other people referring to the discontinued meguiars piano polishing products.

so? am i just crazy? i know i should prolli do a test spot, but being out of the ordinary i didnt dare test spot it.

Wilco

[Mike Phillips]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

Just test first and follow this philosophy....

"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"


Watch out for sharp edges, don't buff on top of them, buff up to them but don't hammer on them.

Meguiar's has been used to clean, polish and maintain piano finishes for as long as anyone can remember... so just test first starting with the least aggressive product and see what it will take to remove the swirls to your satisfaction and then after dialing in your process repeat it over the rest of the piano.

Try to take a good before picture highlighting the swirls and then an after picture showcasing your work.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

We receive a lot of calls here at Meguiar's Customer Care Center regarding guitar and piano finish care, and a lot of these people tell us they've been using M02 Fine Cut Cleaner and/or M09 Swirl Remover 2.0 with great results. The vast majority are working by hand and they usually follow up with M07 Show Car Glaze and leave it at that.

Of course, the finishes vary wildly, as do the users skill level and expectations, and we don't get the opportunity to see the final results. Nonetheless, the above products are commonly used and usually raved about.

As Mike said, it is essential that you proceed slowly at first and do a small test area in an inconspicuous place.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

Also just to note, it's normal for older pianos to have single stage lacquer paint either clear or pigmented but modern pianos may have modern urethane paint, either single stage or clear coated.

The practical difference to anyone working on a piano is that,

Generally speaking, traditional single stage paints will be softer and easier to work defects out of than modern catalyzed basecoat/clearcoat finishes.

An analogy would be,

"The original paint on a 1965 Mustang will be easier to work defects out of than the paint on a brand new Mustang"

So when you go to work on the piano, do a little test spot with your products of choice, if the piano is a color, as in a black piano then test to see if the paint is single stage or basecoat/clearcoat.

How To Test for a Clearcoat or Single Stage Paint Finish


Next, test by working your first product of choice, in this case some kind of swirl and scratch remover, to a small section and inspect your results to see if you're getting the results you want.

For a single stage lacquer paint, either clear or colored, (pigmented), a light cleaner may be all that's needed to easily remove swirls and scratches by hand or machine.

If the paint is a modern paint, either single stage or clear coated, then you may find you need a more aggressive product to effectively remove the swirls.

So test first... and... how about a picture?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

This should be a great Detail. Please keep us posted.

[Wilco]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

HELLO ALL!

thanks for your prompt replies. the one thing i love about this place is that you get help asap compared to other forums = )

i will do the singlestage or clear coat test but from the looks of it, and from guessing, it looks to be a clear coat of some type, so in that case it looks to be removal of just the coat, which wont leave any residue on my pads.

mmm having said that not too sure whether to use the DA now. i can see how the swirl remover or the fine cut cleaner would work best, as its the least aggressive. seeing i have neither, i think i'll use scratch x for now, and if it works post some pics.

till then! thanks again

[Mike Phillips]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

Is this an old piano or a modern piano?

We own an antique piano from probably the 1940's, maybe older. Over the weekend I helped our new neighbors, (he's a car guy), to unload and move their piano and it was built in the 1920's

Both of these pianos have clear lacquer paint on them. So piano can have clear paint but it can still be very soft and easy to work or it could have a modern clear finish which will tend to be harder.

Regardless ScratchX will be a great way to test out the polishability of the paint on the piano.

Technically we should always refer to the paint on any type of furniture as the finish instead of the paint as that's how it's done in the furniture world.

[Dmitriy15]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

VERY interesting post. I have a 2002 Yamaha that needs serious work. So is it okay to use 7424 with Meguiars Cleaner wax or would you guys recommend number 7?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

VERY interesting post. I have a 2002 Yamaha that needs serious work.

Serious work? As in it needs swirls and scratches removed?

So is it okay to use 7424 with Meguiar's Cleaner wax or would you guys recommend number 7?

Cleaner/wax would do something but you might be better off with a dedicated swirl mark remover like our new SwirlX

M07 is a non-abrasive pure polish so it won't be of much use if the Yamaha needs serious work.

[Dmitriy15]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

My mistake I don't know why all of a sudden I though #7 was abrasive. The Piano has some serious swirls and a few scratches that can be minimized but will never come out because they are too deep.

Swirls are REALLY heavy though because of constant dusting since it is used on daily bases for over 4 hours each day by mom and her students.

So Piano's can be treated almost like regular vehicle paint? Impressive, I will take a guess and say that it would be OKAY to finish it off with NXT 2.0 as well?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

Swirls are REALLY heavy though because of constant dusting since it is used on daily bases for over 4 hours each day by mom and her students.

Something to think about... if the Piano sees a lot of wear and tear then it might not be a good idea to try to do a lot of serious correction work because if history is any kind of indicator it's likely the Piano is going see more wear and tear into the future. Maybe just stick with a cleaner/wax or something like ScratchX 1.0 followed by waxing.

So Piano's can be treated almost like regular vehicle paint? Impressive, I will take a guess and say that it would be OKAY to finish it off with NXT 2.0 as well?

You bet. Thin coat, allow to dry, wipe off using a clean, soft plush microfiber polishing cloth.

[Mr Mustang]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

this stuff really is great for about anything!

[Wilco]

Re: mmm Piano Anyone?!

SO
back from the dead!

over here in australia, the music shops dont have the fenders meguiar's range of products, so i just use all the automotive stuff, though im sure the fenders meguiar's range has similar formulas to the automotive stuff.

i treated the piano with scratch x followed on with #7 to see if it made a dramatic difference, and it did a little, but it was clearcoat based so its difficult to tell the difference after scratch x.

SO, i will endeavour to post some!

also topped with nxt 2.0, 2coats of it and its just awesome how without any weather effects, the sleekness remains for a long long time. even microscopic spit from people's mouths gets awesome beading! hahaha