key bushings

[fssturm@unm.edu]

Wim,
   I don't want to appear to "pile on," but I do want to quibble with you about the 
notion that they are "only" the practice room grands you were contemplating 
putting plastic bushings in.  Practice room grands are #3 on my priority list, right 
behind concert instruments and piano faculty studios. They are where piano 
students try to learn to play with nuance and artistry, and need to be in top 
shape all the time, within the limits of available time and resources. And piano 
students are my main reason to be working in the music department.
    With respect to the practical issue of keeping up with key bushing, I think 
beginning with a top quality job is the only way to go - beautifully sized bushings 
of top quality felt lubed with teflon powder, on beautifully polished pins lubed 
with ProLube.
    To get more life from a new set of bushings, try steam sizing them. Put the 
keys in key clamps (Spurlock), steam the bushings with travel iron until they 
swell (but don't actually unglue), follow with a key easing iron with precision 
cauls (Pianotek has a new set of parallel sided cauls for your 40 watt iron, with 
separate sizes for balance and front rail a few thousandths apart. I'm not sure if 
it's in the catalogue yet, but they had them in Chicago for $15 a set. Very nice 
and precise). Polish the pins, lube them with a cloth that's impregnated with 
ProLube, feeling each pin for any burrs or corrosion. Replace those! It takes far 
less time to replace a pin than to replace the bushing it will eat up in a few 
months at practice room rates. You should also inspect the bushings before 
steaming to see if any are worn badly - it's obvious if they are the kind with white 
centers, and pretty easy to see even if not. Then examine the corresponding pin 
to see why. (If there's a lot of wear, steam sizing isn't worth the trouble. Just 
rebush).
    BTW, for anyone who doesn't know, the easy way to remove key pins is to use 
a pair of "dikes" (the auto mechanic's term for diagonal cutting pliers) and a 
piece of 1/4 - 3/8" dowel or square stock. Use the wood as a fulcrum, about 1/2" 
away from the pin. Grab the pin with the tip of the dikes at the pin's bottom and 
pry up about 3/16". Release and grab again at the bottom. Three pries and it's 
out. Pound in the new one. Half a minute, max. No sweat, no cussing (compared 
to pulling with pliers or vice grips). _Grab_ the pin with the dikes. Make a dimple 
in each side. No slip that way. You're going to throw it away.
    Steam sizing reverses compression of the felt pretty well. It does little for wear, 
which is why polishing and lubing and replacing pins is so important. Scales 
and glissandi cause rapid compression, which is why practice room bushings 
become wobbly so fast. Often it's more compression than wear, especially if it 
was a good job to begin with (see above).
    There are those who advocate leather for longevity, and you can read about 
that in the archives. Myself, I prefer a high quality felt job - wider range of 
available thicknesses, easier to precision size. But we all have our preferences. 
Regardless what material you use, the feel of a firm but free keyboard is the 
goal - it makes an enormous difference to the pianist, whether or not he/she 
knows where the difference lies. It's the "new" feel, and adds a sense of control.
    The intense work required by practice room grands (in tandem with concert 
and piano faculty pianos) is why the workload recommendation in the 
Guidelines is so seemingly high. I remember you commenting you thought a full 
time job caring for 70 pianos would be a walk in the park, when you first took the 
job. It's keeping up with bushings, and hammers, and knuckles, and regulation, 
and broken strings, and, and, and . . . - keeping those practice pianos almost as 
good as a concert instrument all the time - that really defines what being a 
CAUT is all about, IMO. And means a lot of hours, more than anyone in the retail 
field could imagine.
    All that said, thanks for asking about the plastic cauls. Keep questions and 
ideas coming. It keeps us awake and alive.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico

Quoting Wimblees@aol.com:

> It's always fun to go off on tangent on a questions. It adds some
> levity to 
> the list. (Can I throw in my glue gun?)
> 
> But besides just telling I should not use plastic bushings, I don't
> think any 
> one told me why they should not be used. Remember, I want to put
> these on 
> practice room grands, not the concert grand or the piano teacher's
> studio 
> pianos. 
> 
> Be gentle
> 
> Wim 
>