Plastic keytop removal

[Michael Jorgensen]

Hi Lance,
     I use a sharp flat strong knife which has a triagular shaped
blade.  I poke the point of the blade between the top and the wood and
pry while working it in.  I try to start under the front or behind the
tail so any gouge in the wood will be out of sight and feel. It is
important to work from one side so that the wood grain is always running
toward the key top as you go.  This prevents large amounts of wood from
spliting away with the top as the top comes off.  Key fronts will be the
hardest as the glue is soaked deep into the key.  In a real difficult
situation, you could burn them off outside.  EPA wouldn't like that. If
you sand them off with a machine, they will catch fire shortly gum up
the sandpaper and make enough horrible toxic smoke to kill you.  They
burn so quickly that whatever black is left on the key can be sanded off
with a light sanding and then refinished on the sides. Good luck
-Mike Jorgensen