plastic keytop glue

[D.L. Bullock]

NEVER should anyone ever use contact cement on keytops.  You have learned
first hand that they fall off in 5 years more or less.  I learned from an
old tuner to melt spare keytops in Acetone and put it in a squeeze bottle.
I keep putting key plastic in until it is the thickness of heavy cream.
Using this I have never had any come off at any age.  Been using it for
about 15 years.  Unless you can get the old cement off the tops and keys,
you may have to take off the whole set and replace it.  Otherwise you will
have several more to do each time you tune and they will think poorly of you
because you just fixed those keys and now another one has dropped off.

Major tip: Never mix glues because a chemical reaction causes them to fall
off or turn to an emulsion and fall off.  Remove all previous glues before
repairing with other glues.

D.L. Bullock    St. Louis
www.thepianoworld.com <http://www.thepianoworld.com>

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-----Original Message-----
From: Clyde Hollinger [mailto:cedel@supernet.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 4:52 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: plastic keytop glue


Friends,

I hope you can help me with this problem.

I service on old upright piano for which a previous technician installed
new plastic keytops, probably a couple decades ago.  They keep coming
off; nearly every one has come off at least once.  I used to use
Dryburgh superglue, but they began coming off again, so I switched to
Weldwood contact cement, and that nearly always does okay for me, but
not on this piano.  This has been a chronic problem for years.

Do you have a never-fail suggestion for some other glue?  I'll be seeing
this piano again the end of next week.  Preferably something that sets
up soon enough so I can do the repair, then tune the piano, or the other
way around, and that's locally available.  I like to stay away from
glues so dark that they show through the plastic.

It's been a while since I've been on this list.  I'm doing well and hope
you are the same.  I'm swamped with piano work, like probably everyone
else this time of year.

Merry Christmas,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT
Lititz, PA, USA