Mike, my comments inserted...yours are "quoted"... ----- Original Message ----- Mike Kurta wrote: "There is a good reason for the thicker keytops we commonly see for replacement. Key that have been used awhile after the original ivory has come off develop a dish or depression where the finger plays the key. This has to be removed to create a smooth base for the new material. Problems would arise if the new keytop were applied directly over an uneven surface. " Yes, but using the adhesive I mentioned that is not an issue at all....a light sanding is all that is neccesary in this case...this adhesive actually fills gaps and irregularities "There are other reasons also: warped and uneven keys that need truing to make a good, even key level along with a consistent key dip being one of them." In that case I totally agree... "In answer to your second question, there is such a variety of key widths in pianos, that supplying a product that will work on most all keys results in a wider than usually needed keytop. Yes, it is a pain to remove a lot of material from the sides, but no manufacturer would make 6 different widths to accomodate the different keys." It has been my experience in the 27 years of key recovering of many brands of pianos that the replacement keytops have ALWAYS been wider than necessary compared to the key itself...if the heads and tails of the replacement keytops were just a mm or two narrower than what is currently supplied it would be ideal, IMO... "If you are in Chicago next week, I'll be showing 4 different methods of trimming keytops at my technical." I can't make it but would welcome any tips... "BTW, the commonly used keytops that Schaff and Apsco sell are made in our town of Auburn, NY by Currier Plastics, a local company. I attempted to buy direct from them, but was told it was not possible as they were restricted to producing keytops for the owner of the molds ONLY! Who was the owner? Schaff Piano Supply Co." Well, of course! ; ) Best, Greg Torres ----- Original Message ----- From: Greg To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 6:13 AM Subject: Re: Molded Keytops If one were to use a water based adhesive instead of a solvent-based one then that wopuldn't be a problem...I have used a latex based adhesive (Liquid Nails, white stuff in a squeeze tube) in the past that worked very well although it was much slower setting than acetone/keytop solution.... Now, this brings to mind another keytop question... Has someone come up with a molded keytop (or can someone please do so?) that is slightly smaller in width at both the head and even smaller at the tail? I believe this idea would be better than always having to trim off SO MUCH excess plastic... I realize that key sizes vary somewhat and that they are not always uniform in size, but a better key covering job could be more easily obtained simply by shrinking the dimensions of the keytop slightly, especially for those who do not have a keytop trimming jig or machine.... FWIW, I am speaking primarily of the Schaff/Apsco keytops commonly used... Anybody? Best, Greg ----- Original Message ----- From: Jon Page To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2002 7:05 AM Subject: Re: Molded Keytops The plastic would be rather thin and the grain in the wood or the joint for the front rail plug would figure the surface. I'm sure you've seen an older set of plastic keytops which have 'shrunken" into the keystick surface. Regards, Jon Page, piano technician At 07:41 AM 6/13/2002 -0400, you wrote: Why don't they make replacement molded keytops the same thickness as ivory or ivorine so we don't have to plane the keys? Philip Jamison West Chester, PA
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