Ron Nossaman wrote: > > Aren't you guys suggesting building up the key sides presuming that the > replacement keytops are the width and shape the keys are supposed to be, > or once were? That's not often the case in actual pianos. There's lots > of variation among key sets, and if the key appears undamaged, the new > keytop should be trimmed neatly flush with the key sides, with top edges > rounded over to suit. You can get a good idea of how wide the naturals are by measuring the whole keyboard in millimeters. Subtract 76.5 from this measurement - the 1.5 X 51. A nice looking gap between naturals is 1.5mm. Divide this number by 52 and you have the width of each head. Use this measurement as a guide for building out the sides with pine veneer. I would buy key tops that are close to this dimension and plan on removing just a little from the new key tops in the head area. The tails between sharps don't need to be perfectly flush with the wood. John Hartman RPT John Hartman Pianos [link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015] Rebuilding Steinway and Mason & Hamlin Grand Pianos Since 1979 Piano Technicians Journal Journal Illustrator/Contributing Editor [link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
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