Ivory keytops

[RPSPIANO@aol.com]

 Chris

Yes glue wafers are still used.  I think they are the best way to
attach ivory. It is really not that hard -- but does take some time
and probably not suited for in the home or quick fix type repair.
We, or should I say my wife actually, put on two whole sets
of  ivory heads and tails just this past month. If the original
glue wafer is not damaged ie. torn, or worn from being used
with no cover, it can often be re-activated with a few drops of
water. Put a ivory clamp on and align to the key. Add a
little heat even from a match or lighter will work for a quick
repair. For doing new wafers most of the work is preparing the
key surface and the ivory, scraping with a razor blade has been
mentioned and works, a cabinet scraper works as well.
Get all of the ivory matched up for each key, we even tape them
on so they won't get mixed up or knocked off, the fitting takes
the most time. Lay out several ivory clamp plates and place
a iron on them to heat. Soak the wafers in warm water maybe
10 to 15 seconds untill it curls up some - feels a little "slimey".
Remove the heat from the plates  ( as you get into the process
you have some plates heating and some cooling)  using tweezers
or pliers place the plate on the ivory. The plate should be warm
(not 212 degrees, I don't think, but then I try not to touch them
by hand) in other words a little hot to handle. Practice helps and
if you do a whole set you'll get some practice. Tighten the clamps
and they will try to slide, spend as much time as it takes on this
step. You should see glue squeeze out. The rest of the work
involves trimming the excess wafer from the sides.
 sanding and leveling the ivory,rounding the edges and buffing
 the standard stuff. We look at the old ivory remaining
as a very limited and precious resource. We attempt to
salavage as much as possible, preserve as many ivory
 keyboards as is feasible or practical.

Mark Ritchie
Cols,OH