This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Terry, Ivory and bone are natural materials. My experience in applying new = ivory and bone as well as restoring factory applied ivory and bone is = this. Ivory is translucent (slightly see-thru) and a linen wafer = underneath makes it appear white. Bone is less translucent and remains = an off-white in appearance even with a linen wafer. I have seen bone = keytop material as white as ivory but it was from a German company and = they wont sell to me. Grain varies widely in ivory depending on the = "cut" it can be straight, wavy or the flame-point or fingerprint pattern = we all know and love. Bone has grain but it is usually straight or = non-existent. Both are hard, tricky to machine and hold an edge and buff = well. Ivory has very tight pores and bone is more porous, and if not = surfaced properly will be very evident. Ivory and bone will both become = dirty if the pores are not saturated with compound from buffing. This = brings up a good point, buffing serves a few purposes. Buffing saturates = the pores with wax or compound and seals them, this keeps dirt and = moisture out, buffing also improves the appearance of ivory, bone, and = plastic by smoothing and making the surface flat and in turn it will = reflect more light and be visually more appealing. Buffing ivory and = bone at required intervals will prolong there life by preventing the = elements from disintegrating them. Both ivory and bone are vulnerable to = environmental changes (temperature and humidity). For example place an = ivory head in a moist face-cloth overnight and then look at it in the = morning, you'll be surprised to see the change in dimension and = consistency. Both ivory and bone will darken in color over time and I = think bone appears to darken faster and it may only be because the = material is darker to begin with, not necessarily it's composition. As = far as feel, ivory and bone both grip your fingers, wick-off moisture, = and are less slippery than plastic. Ivory and bone are both very durable = if maintained properly. I have a 1860's square grand in my shop with a = wonderful set of original ivory. New ivory (legal pre-ban) and bone are = readily available. Ivory is more expensive and preferred but a lot of = people accept bone as a nice alternative to ivory. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Terry=20 To: Pianotech=20 Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 7:45 AM Subject: Re: Moulded Keytops What can you say about comparing and contrasting bone and ivory = (color, grain, feel, durability, etc.)? I've heard that bone is more = porous and gets dirtier more easily. Please educate us! Terry Farrell I apply keytops for a living and there are several factors to = consider when choosing a top. The quality of the keytop, quality of the = piano, quality of the rebuild, preference of the customer, knowledge and = preference of the technician and budget. Crappy "molded" keytops are = nice if applied properly, and three thousand dollars worth of new ivory = is "crappy" if not applied properly. Molded keytops have the advantage = of being inexpensive, uniform in shape and appearance, and relatively = easy to apply with minimal skill, tooling and yields fair results. A = disadvantage is that many people feel that they are a cheap top and as a = result do not use them. Other materials ivory, bone and the variety of = plastics are usually in a slab or oversize form and require more skill, = tooling and money. In addition when you go from a molded keytop with = fronts attached to a keytop without a front attached you double your = workload. Vagias is a simulated ivory top made of plastic and I've found = that people either like it or don't there is no in between. Ivorine = (pyralin) is still around and preferred to acrylics because of the = plastics available it feels similar to ivory. New ivory and bone are = available and preferred by most but are costly and not always in the = budget. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/51/f0/a6/79/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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