PVC-E glue and Keytops

[Patrick Callanan]

I've been using it for years on dozens of sets of keytops. I just apply it
to the key with a disposable brush (which I rinse out and reuse because I'm
cheap :-) ). The stuff I get from Schaff I thin about 5 percent at first,
then 5-10 percent again near the end of the jar. You absolutely must clamp
it. I use the spring clamps with a wood caul. Schaff sells them as a set. I
cover one side of the caul with wax paper (taped on so you can change it
when it gets torn) to keep stray glue from sticking to the caul. The
technique involved to juggle the key, keytop, caul, and clamp takes a bit of
practice. One tip is to make sure one hand never touches the glue, even by
mistake. That hand manages the keytop and the clamp. Minimum dry time is
about an hour, but I usually allow two or three, overnight if I'm not
rushed.  I do whole sets of tops, so I have seven clamp/caul sets to do an
octave at a time. Once you get the hang of it, an octave takes about half an
hour. 

Another important point is to make sure you have a way to get the old tops
off without tearing up the wood. You also have to make sure that you shave
off the front and top of the key so that the finished product is no longer
and no thicker than the original was, otherwise they'll bind on the keyslip,
jack up the fallboard so it jams on the music desk, and other kinds of
trouble that you don't need. I've built jigs to do this with a router for
the top and a bandsaw for the front.

Have I left anything out?

Patrick Callanan, RPT
2468 Freetown Dr.
Reston, VA 20191
703-620-8906
http://www.patrickcallanan.com
pcallanan at patrickcallanan.com
-----Original Message-----
From: ed miller [mailto:edmiller3 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 3:59 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: PVC-E glue and Keytops

Could anyone please share their procedure for glueing plastic keytops using 
pvc-e glue?

What is the proper way to apply it? Is clamping necessary? Dry time? etc....

Thanks in advance.
Ed