Key Leads

[Paul S. Larudee]

Dave Doremus wrote:
> 
> 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,

1.	Trim them with a drill, any convex tipped bit, same diameter, very
slow speed.  This will slightly change the weighting,, so use your
judgement here.

2.	Coat the leads.  Use thinnest C-A glue to seep into the spaces around
the sides and medium for the visible surfaces.  Possibly thick as well,
and trim the excess when set.

3.	Install a Dampp-Chaser rod (36", 38W) under the keybed.

Good luck.  Almost sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Paul S. Larudee, RPT
Richmond, CA