Ivories

[Benjamin Treuhaft]

Martha Wilson, piano-man extraordinaire newly of Portland, Oregon
showed me this fool-proof  (essential, in my case) method of
calibrating the time you leave the peroxide on the keys, so as not to
damage them or waste hours monitering the process:
HOW TO WHITEN IV0RIES

35% SOLUTION of cheapest grade ($15) H202 - in Berkeley, Byron
Labs H1075

thin latex gloves - essential

Puffs Plus (contain aloe) tissues - do not desintegrate as fast

Tape five or so keys together with smooth kleenex layer on ivories
and over fronts, soak the kleenex with peroxide using a cheap
disposible brush, making the kleenex lay flat on the ivory.   Leave
1/2 hr. in sun.   It will dry out a bit, so carefully respread solution,
smoothing the kleenex as you go, and leave it up to 1/2 hr.longer.
Using a wet rag wash all the peroxide off, then dry the keys.  Try to
wait a few days before working on the ivories because the peroxide
will have soaked into the ivory and will still be slowly doing its thing.
If they are not perfectly white I will be surprised, but you can repeat
once if necessary.  Martha recommends buffing rather than sanding
the keys because the customer will miss the feel of the slight grain if
you sand it off.
     She is about to open the Portland incarnation of her wildly
successful Berkeley shop, the Immortal Piano.  She sounded like she
was having the real-estate blues when I last spoke to here.  Anyone
in Portland area have ideas for her shop/living-space problems?
Benjamin Treuhaft
Senda Piana to Havana
(510) 843-3823
blt@igc.apc.org