My old way of removing keybushings

[David Love]

I have to admit that I don't like to have to handle each key so much.  I
have found a way for removing the bushings that goes very quickly in a
key clamp without staining or loosening key buttons.  The method
involves presoaking the bushings with a solution of warm water and
wallpaper remover.  The trick is to saturate each bushing using the
least amount of liquid and not letting it drop down through the mortise
to the hole at the bottom of the key or all over the key/key button
joint.  To do that, I use the tip of a pipe cleaner which I lay
lengthwise in the mortise just below the level of the bushings.  The
pipe cleaner closes up the opening in the mortise just enough so that
when I drop a couple of drops of water/wallpaper remover solution (using
a 4 oz hypo oiler with warm water and maybe 1/4 oz of wall paper
remover) onto the pipe cleaner, it disperses the water to the sides and
directly onto the bushings without dripping through or running over the
sides.  This procedure goes very quickly and the whole set can be
saturated in about 5 minutes.  Let it sit for a couple of minutes as you
are preparing the next step.  Then I take a piece of cheesecloth and
roll it into a long tube shape so that when flattened it is about
1/2"-3/4" wide by about 12" long.  Roll it enough times so that it is
about 5 - 8 layers.  The cheese cloth will be dense enough to hold water
that you squirt on it, but open enough that steam passes very easily
through it.  Lay this over a section of mortises and squirt of line of
water (distilled is best with no wallpaper remover this time again using
a 4 oz hypo oiler) down the line of mortises.  Run across it with a hot
dry iron--you might need to do this twice--and then just pluck them out
with your tool of choice.  You can easily do 12 - 15 keys at a time so
the whole set goes very quickly.  When you are done, the keys are
already in the clamp and you can insert a sizing caul or just let them
dry before you begin gluing in the new ones.  The steam that goes
through the balance rail hole usually sizes it a bit--which is often a
good thing--and some easing might be required when you are done.  

To avoid staining, clean the tops of the key buttons first with a soft
brush and vacuum before you remove the old bushings.  Then, after you
have removed the old bushings and when the keys are dry, sand the tops
of the key buttons lightly before gluing in the new bushings.  Don't
forget to vacuum up the dust before gluing.    

David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Barbara Richmond
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 8:20 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: My old way of removing keybushings..... (Modified
byKentSwafford)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "JAMES DALLY" <jdally@ecr.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: My old way of removing keybushings..... (Modified by 
KentSwafford)


> Interesting but how is the prior bushing removed while the next is
being 
> steamed?  Thanks

Oops, I guess I could have found a better way to put it.

Steam number 1, take it off the set-up and place the key number 2 on,
take 
out the bushing out of key number 1.  Pick up number 2 off the set-up,
place 
number 3 on, remove the bushing from number 2, etc.

In other words, while you are removing the bushing, the next key is
steaming 
and by the time you are done removing the bushing (and perhaps putting
in a 
mortise sizing caul) the "steaming" key is ready to have its bushing 
removed.

Barbara Richmond 


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