Ivory keytops

[David Ilvedson]

Also scrape the top of the keytop with a single edge razor blade to remove gunk/dirt before you glue.

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Richard Strang <rstrang@pa.inter.net>
To: pianotech (E-mail) <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 21:12:32 -0500
Subject: Ivory keytops

>Hello, list,
>   Once again, I learned a big lesson the very hard way, so I thought I'd
>share my grief with you all.
>   I worked on an old player upright last night. It was a 1907 variety, but
>someone in California had rebuilt it very well. Why? Who knows? But it was
>in very good shape, and close to pitch.
>   All the ivory keytops, the squares, were coming off. about 15 had been
>off for quite some time, but the customer had saved them and gave them to me
>to glue back on. I also gave a tug at all the rest that had not come off yet
>and found that most of them were loose. I got out my trusty PVC-E glue and
>proceeded to glue them all back on.
>   My big mistake? The glue paints on very white and pretty, and I took it
>for granted that it would dry that way and would hide the finger prints and
>other imperfections that were on the top of the keys that had not had a
>keytop on for a while. When I started taking the rubber bands off and
>reinstalling the keys, I got a big surprise. PVC-E glue dries perfectly
>clear, leaving all imperfections glaring through the keytop which were all
>very well glued on now. The job looks terrible, even though there are now
>keytops installed which I'm sure feel very much better than the key did
>without the ivory. Even so, it is very obvious which keys had been bare for
>a while. Should have I used another white glue, such as Titebond? I have
>always stayed away from the regular white glues for keytops. Anyway, a word
>to the wise. Don't do what I did. If you are going to use PVC-E glue for
>ivory keytops, make sure the keytop surface is WHITE before gluing. Lesson
>learned.

>Richard

>PS. The player was also rebuilt. All the bellows were new. The entire part
>that sits over the keys was in new condition. Much of the rest of the player
>mechanism was gone though, so the player will never play again. Anyone need
>bellows? Other parts?

>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: 
>https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives.php//www.ptg.org/mailman/listinfo/pianotec
>h