Key Leads

[Brian Trout]

Hi Dave,

I haven't had this problem yet.  Could you give a little more detail as to
exactly what's happening?  Is the lead actually coming out of the key in
such a way that it is leaving an open space behind it inside of the key?  Is
the wood actually compressing the lead to the point of deforming the lead
weight?  I'm trying to get a mental picture of the root cause of the
problem.   What kind of a climate are these pianos in? Dry? Humid? Large
fluctuations?

I think Del had mentioned using a very thin epoxy to soak the action parts
that held the teflon bushings in the S&S pianos of that vintage.  I thought
he said that it tended to stabilize the wood and reduce the
expansion/contraction problems with them.  If the thinking has some
validity, perhaps there might be a similar treatment for key lead troubles.?
I assume it's actually the sealing of the wood that would do the trick, so
there's probably any number of things that might help.

I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

Brian Trout

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Doremus <algiers_piano@bellsouth.net>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Sunday, June 27, 1999 10:19 AM
Subject: Key Leads


>For some reason types of problems seem to come in waves. This week I looked
>at three grands, all in not great but workable shape except for key leads
>swollen beyond belief. In the past, on antiques esp and the modern grand
>with the occaisional problem Ive simply shaved off the excess with a
>freshly sharpened chisel to avoid raising lead dust and staining the key.
>These are not great pianos, up to four 5/8" leads in the bass, badly
>corroded, signs of previous belt sanding to correct the problem. My
>inclination is to replace all the lead in each keyboard, repairing the
>cracks that are starting to appear in one of them as I go. My question is
>how do I make sure this wont recur? Obviously on two of these someone
>roughly sanded the key sides/leads to free them up and the problem came
>back with a vengeance. Any suggestions for preventitve actions?
>
>Dave
>
>
>-----------------------------
>Dave Doremus RPT
>Algiers Piano Works, Ltd
>
>Restoration and Tuning of
>Modern and Historical
>Stringed Keyboard Instruments
>
>New Orleans
>algiers_piano@bellsouth.net
>------------------------------
>
>
>