Ivory keytops

[waco@ari.net]

To respond to some misconceptions about keytop glue choices:

CA glue evaporates at the same rate as granite.  If properly applied, CA will
hold a keytop on until the ivory wears out.  It does a very good job, but a
backing material is required.

Wafers also do a good job, but they are much more of a pain to work with and
take a lot more time.

Hide glue, tinted or otherwise, does a very poor job of holding down ivory.  It
may be expedient, and it may be available, but it's not very good for this
particular job.  Having refurbished four complete sets of ivories in the last
six months, I can testify to the worthlessness of old repairs done with hot
glue.

If CA is used for a repair, the ivory and the key should be clean, and to
prevent dark spots, some kind of backing material must be used.  As I stated in
a previous post, white vinyl tape works very well in this application.

Frank Weston