Titanium Oxide

[Bill Maxim]

Mark and list:

You wrote
>about using titanium oxide to whiten hide glue.
>I have used it with some success on non glue wafer ivory sets.
>The problems arise with very white ivory that is fairly
>translucent. The color of the glue takes away from that
>snow white. The result is either somewhat blotchy or
>slightly yellowed.

I asked Ed Dryburgh whether it would be possible to whiten CA glues for
attaching translucent ivory.  From his suggestion I have come up with
the following procedure for gluing ivories back on in the customer's
home.

After cleaning ivory and key as usual, I take the ivories out to my
car, lay out newspaper over the boxes in my trunk, and spray white
aerosol paint on the gluing surface of the ivories.  Back in the house,
I apply gap-filling CA glue to the key (no accelerator!) and without
waiting for the paint to dry I carefully line up the ivory and press in
place.  Expect the ivory to want to go slideways and be prapared to
slide it back.  In a very few seconds it is set.  I have yet to have
any discoloration show through, and I am very fussy on that.


Bill Maxim, RPT, Piano Technicians Guild    wmaxim@gnn.com
Serving South Carolina from Columbia and Greer