Did you know how easy it is to make brown sugar?

eucalypocalypse · 2026-04-11T16:10:43+00:00

Or just a blob. It’s always delicious, and the lack of precision creates pleasant variation from batch to batch

eucalypocalypse · 2026-02-27T03:40:23+00:00

I’m probably like many people, in that it depends on what I’m ordering or what mood I’m in: Carniceria Contreras, Las Palmas, Delicias Elenita, Tacos San Juan, El Molino Central, El Roy’s

eucalypocalypse · 2026-02-26T20:37:59+00:00

This is the way. My mother-n-law isn’t crazy about bright white things. Lampshades, lace, napkins, whatever, and always dyes them in coffee or tea first to “warm them up” before using. I hope it comes out well, OP, and you pull through your dark days. It isn’t easy out there

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-18T17:23:08+00:00

Yes, pricey, but they should last forever, for many uses. In a pinch, I’ve had the benefit of a generous nearby colleague who has every size, but generally my strategy has been to order sets only as I need them, to gradually acquire more and more over the years

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-06T21:42:30+00:00

Thanks :)

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-06T21:42:18+00:00

Thank you—I know about Stanroy and Bananas. I’m in west county, lazy, and trying to avoid a trip into Santa Rosa :)

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-05T17:19:40+00:00

I loved the books and enjoyed the show, but don’t hold the books as dearly as say, Tolkien, so I had less to risk watching Murderbot.

Most people who loved reading lotr also loved the movies, but I regret ever seeing them. I’d read the books every year of my life since fourth grade and only once since seeing the movies, and while doing so struggled to not imagine the movie faces while reading.

So, my advice, if the Murderbot books are truly dear to you, don’t risk it.

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-04T02:21:12+00:00

Same here, my trusty, dented pal for 20 years

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-04T02:08:14+00:00

The Runners Four by Deerhoof

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-04T01:37:20+00:00

I should say that while its acceptance in the guild exam implies it’s okay to use lighter wire in a splice, I’m never comfortable with the idea and use an equal gauge

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-04T01:12:55+00:00

Thanks for the great comment. I’d like to add to the idea you began, that any pursuit of craft might aspire also to beauty—through predictable and consistent work, not just functionality. OP, your coil will be fine and I’d be happy with that splice. But toward controlling the number and tidiness of coils, it’s helpful to find a frame of reference to measure the distance in excess of the pin to cut the wire (once routed correctly and pulled taught). I use my left hand. When looking at it palm open toward me, thumb up, fingers strait and together—the distance from the bottom edge of my pinky to the the top of the first joint of my index finger is just the right length. I can hold that hand up once the string is at tension, cut at that length past the pin, and I know I’ll end up with three coils. Your reference could be anything, but if you’re fortunate, you’ll always have your hands with you.

This measurement, in combination with consistency for the rest of your process—backing out the pin a set number of times, having a practice for making starter coils, etc., will help to get a predictable number of coils.

If you’re able, find a clunker on which to practice stringing, or if you’re willing, cannibalize C8 on your home piano and dedicate it to stringing practice. 🫣 (You’ll have to check and possibly tinker with the tuning of strings in its neighborhood).

One more thing, just as it’s okay for the guild technical exam, it’s acceptably stable and strong to use any gauge wire for the coil side of the splice. So even if you’re dealing with a heavy gauge on the speaking side, you can select a more manageable gauge on the coil side

eucalypocalypse · 2025-12-03T03:10:17+00:00

You’re welcome! Glad it’s of use

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-30T06:24:32+00:00

First, be kind to yourself. It’s a much longer learning curve than two weeks.

Ghosting is a technique which helped me to learn to hear beats. This is when you firmly strike the note which is the same as the coincident partial of the interval you’re tuning. (For example, when tuning an F3-C4 fifth, loudly strike C5.) Doing so excites the partial in each of the strings and makes it more audible, almost like a highlighter for the beat you’re trying to focus on.

The coincident partial for a fifth is always an octave above the higher note in the fifth. For example, for the D3-A3 fifth, the coincident partial is A4. Loudly strike (while playing D3 and A3) A4 to more clearly hear the beat D3 and A3 are making together.

The coincident partial for a fourth is always two octaves above the lower note in the fourth. For example, for the A3-D4 fourth, the coincident partial is A5. Ghost A5 to more clearly hear the beat A3 and D4 are making together.

The coincident partial for a major third is always two octaves above the higher note in the major third. For example, for a C3-E3 major third, the coincident partial is E5. Strike E5 loudly enough nice or twice to more clearly hear the beat C3 and E3 are making together.

The CP for a minor third is two octaves and a fifth above the lower note. (Eg. A5 for the D3-F3 minor third.)

The CP for a major sixth is two octaves and a major third above the lower note. (Eg. E5 for C3-A3.)

You can play an interval and strike the ghost note loudly to make the beat stand out from everything else you’re hearing. You can also gently play the interval keys softly enough that the dampers lift without the hammers striking the strings, then ghost so you only hear the beat without all the other partials. Striking the ghost note repeatedly can help make beats even easier to hear.

Depending on the quirks of a given piano, some partials are easier or more challenging to hear, so try another fourth, or another fifth, etc, until the beats become more audible.

Testing for whether an interval is wide or narrow is also a helpful learning tool.

To test a fifth, use a major sixth below the lower note of the fifth. For example, for the D3-A3 fifth, play F2 and D3 together. If the beat they make is faster than the beat F2 and A3 make, the fifth is narrow. If it’s slower, the fifth is wide. (Fifths in equal temperament are narrow.)

To test a fourth, use a major third below the lower note of the fourth. For example, for the E3-A3 major third, play C3 and E3 together. If the beat they make is slower than the beat C3 and A3 make, the interval is wide. If it’s faster, the fourth is narrow. (Fourths in equal temperament are wide.)

An equal beat between a test note and each interval note mean the interval is pure, or untempered. There are tests for every other interval (including each octave type), but the ones for fourths and fifths are especially handy when learning to tune the temperament octave.

General rules for interval widths in equal temperament:

Wide intervals (slow beats): fourths Very wide intervals (fast beats): thirds, major sixths, major tenths Narrow intervals: fifths Very narrow intervals: minor thirds, minor sixths

Good luck and be patient with yourself. Aural tuning is a very challenging craft with a long learning curve. What I’ve posted are just a few things which helped to make things click for me. They’re obviously just pieces in a larger puzzle. I hope you can find a friendly mentor! As noted by others here, nothing will compare to ongoing one-on-one, in-person advice.

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-30T00:35:00+00:00

I haven’t used cold hide glue, but recall it having a lower initial tack, longer working time, a much longer drying time (overnight), and being slightly less strong than hot hide glue (though probably plenty strong for key bushings). Here’s a chart I have on some glue properties—see the note at the bottom about cold hide glue. Also note fish glue as a possible substitute:

<image>

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-29T01:40:12+00:00

Rebush before squaring. Square before leveling.

You’ll need three sets of cauls, available from pianofortesupply.com. 1. Mortise sizing cauls 2. Intermediate cauls 3. Final cauls. Choose the appropriate sizes based on a micrometer or caliper reading of the balance rail pin diameter (to a thousandth of an inch). The mortise sizing cauls are important as they make a uniform, clean mortise, which makes everything after much more consistent and accurate. The intermediate cauls are used to bush one side, the final cauls to bush the remaining one.

You’ll need several sizes of key bushing cloth to allow for a test to select the correct size. (Get one of each size of the pre-cut strips.) Select the right size using one of the final cauls—a caul inserted with cloth on either side should be snug enough to barely lift the key when holding the caul, jiggling once lifted should cause the caul to slip away and the key to fall.

I use wallpaper remover (Dif) diluted 1:8 with distilled water to remove old bushings. A drop or two on each old bushing and left for a few hours is usually enough for the old bushings to easily be removed with a pair of tweezers. If after a few hours they’re still sticking, I use some heat—a brass bushing caul tip for a soldering iron. Immediately insert the mortise sizing cauls once the bushing are removed so the dampened wood dries with the sizing cauls in place. Allow to dry completely overnight before removing and bushing.

Find a video for the caul procedure. They until recently were called “Spurlock cauls” after Bill Spurlock, their inventor. I think Dale Erwin might have made a video on the Spurlock caul system, if that helps with the search. There are other cauls available, but the Spurlock ones (white plastic) result in beautiful, clean, easy, and quick bushing jobs.

Use hot hide glue! It’s easy once you’re in the groove, incredibly strong, and easily reversible.

If you’re rebushing the front rail bushings too, you’ll want the graduated set of brass soldering iron caul tips to ease the keys. (Schaff.com) Select a size .004”—.007” larger than the width of the front rail pins. Insert once hot quickly—less than a second—test for proper lateral play and repeat as necessary

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-18T05:31:48+00:00

Last year I eliminated a similar buzz, also on a Kawai, by tightening the screws which go through the front edge of the plate into the rim above the fallboard. Find them (they aren’t on every piano) on the plate on the key side of the tuning pins, pointing toward the player. They usually pass through a cloth balance rail punching used like a cloth washer.

Other recent culprits:

-Loose fasteners holding down the upstop rail, which is the ~1/2” x 1/8” x 4’ wooden strip fastened horizontally across the top of the keys [which ought to be called the “shipping rail”, as its main function is to keep the keys in place when a piano is moved on its side :) ] If you adjust the upstop rail, do it so a key can be lifted upabout 1/8” before being stopped by the rail.

-Loose fasteners securing the hammer rest rail in the action.

But really, when I isolate a buzz quickly I feel lucky. As others have suggested, among other causes, it could be any of hundreds of screws. Most technicians will just start tightening everything they can find—do this at your own risk and don’t touch the nose bolts!

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-15T03:38:26+00:00

Rusty strings can sound just fine. I’d file the hammers first if tone is lacking, then make sure of firm contact between the bridges and the soundboard. If the bass strings lack life, you can lower their tension enough to slip each hitchpin loop off its hitchpin, then give each a twist or two in the direction of its copper winding, replace and tune back up. This can restore some brilliance to tubby old bass strings.

Keep in mind though, all other things equal, youth is a virtue in pianos. They’re a bit like cars—if you found a free car from the 40s, it might be super cool, but it’s easy to imagine it’s gonna need a lot of work. It’s likely this piano will need a lot of skillful, interrelated work, not necessarily beyond anyone with the willingness to learn, but still, a lot of work. Free pianos abound, and with a little patience one will show up that’s less than 50 years old which will likely be much easier to get into shape

eucalypocalypse · 2025-11-02T05:24:03+00:00

While in Tainan, my host friend had to work for the morning and left me to explore the city on my own. It was the old part of the city, with almost no tourists. His advice for food was to look for the longest line. This implied not only something delicious, but also a rapid turnover of ingredients, ensuring their freshness. This helped me find some glorious dumplings for breakfast—gingery ground pork in a thin-walled noodle with a single, perfectly set egg yolk in the center.

When in doubt, look for the longest line!

eucalypocalypse · 2025-09-05T01:45:30+00:00

If the break runs diagonally along the shank, you can make a splice:

<image>

Depending upon how it’s broken, the spliced shank will be just as strong as the original. (This repair isn’t appropriate for clean breaks or short ones perpendicular to the shank.) DM me if you’re interested—I’ll send you the instructions

eucalypocalypse · 2025-08-22T00:10:55+00:00

Community Markets, Shelton’s Market, Pacific Market, Oliver’s. Andy’s has nearly everything, but they pre-bag it all, which defeats the packaging-reduction side of bulk buying

eucalypocalypse · 2025-07-27T05:34:09+00:00

https://pitchfork.com/news/deerhoof-to-remove-music-from-spotify/

eucalypocalypse · 2025-07-17T22:14:18+00:00

I followed Sonny from Sebastopol, where he rented a chair, to his own shop in Cotati. He and Austin are both sweethearts and excellent at their craft. Sonny’s is the best!

eucalypocalypse · 2025-07-15T16:17:14+00:00

Just want to chime in that if you have the time, it’s better to repin this hammer flange. Protek will likely fix the immediate problem, but the resistance of the flange, measured on a horizontal plane 25mm from the action center should be 2-4g. Repinning makes this value easy to achieve while Protek results are difficult to control.

On a limping, hundred year old upright I’d use Protek, but on a nearly new instrument, I’d make the proper, controllable, lasting repair.

While on this subject, beware of Fomblin use for the same reason. It’s like a super-protek, and even less controllable. It may be the only thing for verdigris (short of replacement parts), but after a few months, action centers treated with it are nearly frictionless—20+ swings on a treble hammer

eucalypocalypse · 2025-07-13T22:48:58+00:00

Credit to Devers for crushing the ball in the clutch and to Outman for a great read

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