Keytop Botched Job?

[business]

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May I offer some words of encouragement to those struggling with =
replacement
key covers?  This I do with nothing but sympathy in my heart.  I well
remember my early struggles/mistakes/nightmares.

This job is easy and fun.  Trust me.

First, removing the old ivories or whatever is on there.  Don=92t use a =
knife;
use a chisel and small hammer.  Place the key-tail against a bench dog =
and
chip gently away.  Save your fingernails.

Second, mill the top of the key.  Do this with a square-channel end-mill
chucked up in your drill press.  There may be less expensive tools.  =
But,
you=92ll appreciate a drill press a million times over the years.  Get a =
good
end-mill, carbide-tipped, thirty bucks max.  (I don=92t think it=92s =
been that
long since I bought mine.)  Use a machinist vice clamped onto the table =
of
the drill press.  This is another of those odd tools you=92ll use many =
times,
and love every time.  Not cheap, but not a budget-buster.  Go slowly but
smoothly, especially across the top edge of the front.  Use [what =
machinists
call] a climb cut across the front edge of the key.  And do one key at a
time.  The last step in milling is to scribe or mark with a pencil, on =
the
top of the key, that point where the rear end of the new key cover will =
rest
when it is firmly glued.  This mark will assure you that you have milled =
far
enough back on the key.  This mark will also show you the point beyond =
which
you should not apply any glue.  With key covers glued in front of this =
mark,
there should be just enough overhang of the cover at the front end =96 =
an
overhang equal to the thickness of the cover itself.  Lay all the =
natural
keys on your bench with all the new covers arranged on top of them in
correct order.

Third, glue the key-covers.  The 0.075=94 stuff is just fine.  Apply the =
PVC
glue [such as one can get from Schaff] with a small disposable brush on =
the
wooden surface only.  Do not apply the glue to the bottom of the covers.
One thin coat on the wooden key is more than sufficient.  Glue one key =
at a
time.  Grasp one key cover by the edges with two fingers of each hand.  =
Lay
the tail end of the cover on the key, using the pencil mark as a guide.  =
Lay
the entire key down gently on top of the wooden key.  Hold it there for =
a
few seconds; then, let go.  Tap the top of the key cover three times
lightly, with your knuckle; and, set the key aside to dry.  With a clean
finger, wipe off any excess glue that may have squeezed out.  Do not =
clamp
anything.  Make sure all your fingers are clean; and, do it again.  =
Resist
all temptation to inspect key-covers you just glued.  Just leave them =
the
hell alone for a day or two, or three.

Fourth, notch the keys and finish the edges.  This is the time-consuming
part.  But it is also the final step.  Thus, this is the step where we
separate the adults from the children in this trade, and earn our money.
This is the step to recall first, when you write the contract [i.e.: =
sell
the job] and pick up the parts to take to your shop.  Take the key-frame
along with all the keys.  You can=92t properly notch the naturals unless =
they,
and all the sharps, are in the key-frame.  Get several maple wood or
aluminum blocks about half an inch thick and the size of your hand, with
very sharp [that is to say] square edges.  A mill shop or lumberyard =
will
square these cleanly for you; just ask.  To these affix several grits of
sticky back sandpaper.  You might also use these new spongy sanding =
blocks
that hardware stores now stock.  You might also find useful an old flat
bastard file [that=92s really the correct name] with the edges ground =
smooth.
This is all hand work.  Take your time; it won=92t take that much time.  =
Keep
at it until you cannot feel the seam between the wood [sides of the =
keys]
and the plastic [edges of the covers] of every single natural key.  For =
the
very final procedure, use a razor blade of the type called a utility =
blade,
similar in size to the type used in old-fashioned safety razors.  =
Hardware
stores have these in boxes [usually] of a hundred.  Do not think to =
round
over the edges of the key-covers to a radius matching that on those =
covers
out-of-the-box.  By holding the blade edge against the edge of the =
plastic,
with the plane of the blade nearly perpendicular to the surface of the
plastic key-cover, draw the blade slowly along the edge of the plastic a
half-dozen or fewer times until that edge is just softened, smoothed, =
ever
so slightly.  There, you=92re done.

We technicians are rightly proud of our skills.  But, pride aside, a
technician without good tools is nothing.  And, as a surgeon-client of =
mine
said, procedure is everything.  If you follow exactly the right =
procedure,
with the proper tools, it won=92t be difficult to avoid =
nuisance-mistakes.
The way to solve those mistakes is not to make them in the first place.  =
It
sounds trite; but it=92s true.  And it=92s easy, too.

Ross White

=20

jrwhiteltd@msn.com

(253) 922-2372

  _____ =20

From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On =
Behalf
Of David Ilvedson
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 7:32 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: RE: Keytop Botched Job?

=20

Find a Tap Plastic or other plastic store...online if nothing else.  =
They
sell several different types of polishes for plastic and cleaners that =
will
remove the PVC-E.

David Ilvedson





  _____ =20

Original message
From: Matthew Todd=20
To: Pianotech=20
Received: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:52:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Keytop Botched Job?

Hey all,

I actually did my first keytop replacement.  Not on a client's piano, on =
my
own practice piano.  I don't think I did too bad of a job except for a =
few
things.

First, the fronts of some of the keytops don't exactly line up.  Is =
there a
regulatory technique to fix this?

AND, there are certain keytops that have MY fingerprints on them from =
the
PVC-E glue!  Can I remove this with something?  They are the darned =
moulded
tops, so I can't buff them.

Thanks guys,
Matthew

  _____ =20

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