[pianotech] broken keys

[Ron Nossaman]

On 11/9/2012 1:01 PM, Marshall Gisondi wrote:
> Thanks everyoe for the responses.  to review to make certain I have this
> correct in my mind, 1. dry fit the two pices 2 glue with tight bond 3
> blue on a piece of card stock on bot hsides of the key over the splt for
> reinforcement.  Will this service as a clam or do I need to use a
> certain type of metal clamp?

You might find one that needs to be clamped, but only rarely. If you do 
the dry fit well and clear the splinters out of the joint so it goes 
together easily, the manilla will hold it adequately while it dries.


>I've heard of packaging tape being used on
> different repairs before.  Ive seen this done with a cracked birds eye
> ca glue in the birds eye and then the packaging tape over the crack that
> was glued.  Would packaging tape wrapped around the key over the crack
> work?

That's something you find by trying it.


>Also the key that's cracked but not totally broken apart, shoudl
> that be broken apart and reglued since the key isn't working amyway?   I
> don't say this to add injury to the key or add additional work, but the
> split even though the two pieces are still somewhat joined is enough to
> case the key to just l ay there and not function.

To fix it, you need to get glue into the break. If that means separating 
the halves, separate the halves. There are no rules to memorize here. 
The requirements are simple and it takes what it takes.

Ron N