The PTG meeting came to order at 7 pm at Frank and Camille's. 8 members were present. Doug Gregg gave the technical. Doug has a varied background; he is a veterinarian and a pathologist and a passion for piano work. Doug experimented with an interest in restoring bass strings. With five years of research he figured out special methods of restoring bass strings. Some causes of bad bass strings are; corrosion, dirt, tar, and nicotine, and loss of tension. The members were surprised about tar and nicotine from people smoking affecting the strings. He also told us the product 'scrubbing bubbles' is a very good cleaner. Doug's method of heating strings with a torch is very inventive. He had slides of examples of his work. If the piano is not worth a new set of strings, his torch method is a good alternative. Doug's other method is taking the strings off and soaking them in a special solution of his. This method takes much more time. The second part of the technical was about a very interesting lubricant called ballistol. Doug commented that ballistol is excellent for all types of lubrication. Many members have not heard or used ballistol and were very excited with all of the great uses it is used for. Ballistol can be used for voicing hammers, in other words ballistol replaces lanolin in the hammer. Check amazon to purchase ballistol. A very informative and exciting meeting hosted by Doug Gregg. The meeting adjourned at 8:10.