Recoating sharps

[D.L.Bullock]

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You can paint the cheap wooden sharps with black lacquer, but if it has real
ebony, I just clean all the old finish off them and use the same rag wheel I
use to polish brass.  Use the red rouge like for brass and polish the ebony
itself as if it were brass.  It achieves a lustre not found in any other
sharps.  It is not completely black-- it has dark brown grain in it but my
antique loving customers love the look it has.  On rare occasions there will
be a really light colored streak.  On those I use black stain or India ink
to darken it to match the other 35 sharps.

D.L. Bullock  St. Louis
www.thepianoworld.com



 ----Original Message-----
From: Randy Rush [mailto:randyrush@earthlink.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 1:17 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Recoating sharps


  Listers,

  Have any of you folks come up with a satisfactory method of recoating old
sharps that is also cost effective?  Long ago, I tried black dye, followed
by muliple coats of black lacquer from a can, and finished with a few clear
coats.  I was never really satisfied with the results, even after rubbing
down with steel wool.  It always looked less than professional to me, and I
went to advising people to replace with plastic sharps, especially if I was
replacing the keytops too.

  I now have a customer who is insistent on keeping the wooden sharps (I
haven't seen them yet, but I don't think they are ebony), and I'd like to
come up with a refinishing method that looks better than just decent,
without having to set up a spray booth and compressor, which I can't really
do.  What's your experience?

  Thanks,

  Randy Rush

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