My old way of removing keybushings

[Isaac Sadigursky]

Greetings to everyone! regarding key bushing removal:steam still works for
me.In the old days my kids used to help me.Water in the tea kettle,steam
going out,one key  under steam-8 seconds later it's in my hand,i remove
bushings quickly,next key is handed to me.. done 88 times,takes 15 minutes
to do one rail.. No marks,no falling off key buttons,balance holes
sized,nice and tight.This days an apprentice can do it or a paid helper and
there is somebody to talk to..
Another tip: remove and rebush 1 rail and wait 3 days before doing fronts.
this way  less experienced tuner ken easely detect tight bushings and do
key easing. this method was helpful in the days B.S>[ Before Spurlock's
precise key bushing cauls.Thanx,Bill for your contriburion. That's all.!

Isaac 
> [Original Message]
> From: David Love <davidlovepianos@comcast.net>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 11/29/04 10:08:01 PM
> Subject: RE: My old way of removing keybushings
>
> 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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