---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment The following post is a reply to my inquiry to/from MR. Sambel Hello Dale! Delighted to hear from you; I am very well and had a great time in Sacramento. Afterwards, I spent a week as a guest of Susan Kline, and together we visited Edwin Good, author of "Giraffes, Black Dragons and other Pianos' in Eugene, Oregon, and saw the Cristofori reproduction he and Anita have recently acquired. And since then I have attended the PNWC in Renton, Wa. where I did four classes .Great fun! About leather key bushings; I feel exactly as you that cloth is really an inadequate material on heavily used pianos. Long before it is worn out the touch quality is seriously compromised. When I was a young tuner running round London (UK) there were all kinds of German pianos, especially Bechsteins and Bluthners with leather key bushings which seemingly did not wear and were remarkably trouble free. About ten years ago Bill Spurlock advocated the use of kangaroo skin in the Journal and I went on a quest to find some, without any luck. So I sent to Renner, Germany, not USA and got some calfskin, supposedly intended for key bushing. It was much too thick and very stiff, more like a leather belt. It was also an awkward width, about 1" so was wasteful and tricky to bring to 3/8". Anyway I thinned it down and rebushed a couple of sets, one being a practise studio Kawai grand. One year later I inspected them and there was no sign of wear whatever. Nonetheless, this was not a satisfactory solution, and then, believe it or not the answer was under my nose. Kangaroo skin was in the Schaff catalog! I had overlooked it because it is listed under player piano supplies on page 143, and I had never bothered to look there.Whether they still sell it I don't know, but it would be worthwhile to check. As it was I sent for a whole skin which cost about $70 at the time. The catalog says it is tan colored, but it turned out to be black, which really doesn't matter. It was really beautiful and I did several sets with it , using hide glue and putting the shiny skin side to the pin. I gave a piece to Roger Jolly to try so as to get another opinion, and he liked it. I had heard complaints that leather gets noisy, but this was not my experience. The kangaroo skin came at the right thickness and is soft and pliable. The easiest way to cut it into strips is with a paper cutter of the type found in offices. I brushed a little teflon powder into the bushings too.As I retired not too long after and left the Banff Centre, I could not check on the long term wear, but I hope to visit there next year and see. I had always wondered what leather the old German pianos used, then in 1993 I was with the !APBT group who went to England and Europe. The UK conference of the Piano Tuners Assn, was held in Colchester, sixty miles north of London, and Ingbert Bluthner Haessler came fron Germany to give a class on the old Bluthner action. He mentioned that the bushings were calfskin.(I videotaped the class). So there you have it. Sometimes one has to wait a lifetime to find an answer. Well, I hope ths is useful information for you, and am very interested to know how it works out for you. And I still remember your wonderful piano. Warmest regards, Ted ----- Original Message ----- From: _Erwinspiano@aol.com_ (mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com) To: _edward.sambell@sympatico.ca_ (mailto:edward.sambell@sympatico.ca) Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 10:14 PM Subject: Leather key bushings Hi Ted Greetings from sunny Calif. I was wondering if you could enlighten me about applying leather key bushings & what material you use. I'd like to use a material that holds up better than felt in hihg use situations. I have had some sets wear out in a year which is as you know , unacceptable. I really enjoyed our lunch together in Sacramento. Great fun. Hope you are well & enjoying life, Dale Erwin Erwins Pianos Restorations 4721 Parker Rd. Modesto, Ca 95357 209-577-8397 Rebuilt Steinway , Mason &Hamlin Sales www.Erwinspiano.com ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/4c/df/58/7c/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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