Paul writes: << I was wondering if anyone has ever used Acrylikey II for ivory "repair". Next to replacing the ivories, is this any good? Is there something else out there that will do the same? >> Greetings, I just used my kit for the first time yesterday. It differs from the original in that you determine color by powder mix before adding the liquid. I had gotten pretty adept at color matching with the old and I think I preferred it. I use a small, wax-paper coverd, caul under the lip of the key, and placing a drop of the colored liquid on it, right by the ivory itself, allowed me to check my tint before putting the powder in. The new kit's mix of powder isn't as easy to judge the match with like that, but it is simple to increase or decrease the amount of yellow in the mix by simply measuring the relative amounts of powder used. My first go was too white, but since I knew that I had reached that tint by one full scoop of white powder and about 1/2 scoop of yellow, I just popped the repair out and remixed with equal amounts of yellow and white. It hit very close to the mark. I haven't found anything else out there that works as well as either of these two generations of Acrylikey. Once mastered, this product is a real money-maker. I charge on a sliding scale, depending on how many chips there are. If there is only one, I charge $30, for two, $45, for three $50. This covers the time involved in removing the fallboard, stops, etc. One thing I have noticed, which strikes me as odd, is that customers who have played a piano for years, with only one chip, will often not know which one has been repaired after I get done. The most important part of the technique on older, yellower keys, is not disturbing the key surface where the repair will be, ie; DONT OVERWORK the repair!!! After it has set, and you begin to grind it down to flush, be very careful not to sand the surrounding surface or it will remove the yellowing and leave your carefully matched patch surrounded by a little halo of white. I cover the key with masking tape for all the sanding down and finally use just a small corner of the abrasive stick to dress the final amount. All in all, I like this stuff, it can make a huge difference on a keyboard that has one or two chips. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html <A HREF="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/399/six_degrees_of_tonality.html"> MP3.com: Six Degrees of Tonality</A>
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