stiffening keys

[Ron Nossaman]

> Greetings,
>    I have been wondering what to do with a mid-sixties Steinway.  It has 
> the Pratt-Read keys and they are sorta limber. I think this is due to 
> the poor wood, and lack of large plates. 
> so,  since there is no budget for rebuilding the keys with new buttons 
> and larger plates top and bottom,  I have been wondering whether there 
> is any stiffening to be gained by simply painting the sides of the keys 
> with West System epoxy.  It seems that it would gain something by 
> soaking into the wood.  I even thought about laying some strands of 
> carbon fibers along the middle length and painting the epoxy over 
> them,(I have seen this done on motorcycle fairing repairs, and was 
> amazed at the strength it imparted). 
>    Anybody tried this? 
> thanks,
> 
> Ed Foote RPT

Side stiffening won't likely help enough to be worth the 
trouble. a strip of something less elastic than the wood 
that's there, like that carbon fiber, epoxied to the top and 
bottom of the key will stiffen it substantially. Think foam 
core sign board. It'll still take too much time, and there's 
the ugly factor.

Ron N