Key pin friction

[John Minor]

      I have noticed that on concert instruments the front rail key pins
seem to "oxidize" and feel "rough" when the key is depressed while holding
it against either side of the key pin. I polish the pins every 6 months or
so, and lube them with McLube, a mold release product. This does the trick
for a while. I also check for nicks in the pins left by some Neanderthal
key spacing tools. : ) Has anyone else noticed this, and if so, what do
you do about it? Any ideas on what causes this?  Thanks for all answers.

John Minor
Piano Technician
University of Illinois
jminor@uiuc.edu