Fool-proof broken key repair

[PIANOTECHNICIAN at aol.com]

I came up with a fool-proof way to repair broken keys. Construct a  small 
"table"  - -a piece of hard wood like oak, about 15 inches long  and about 4" 
wide, and glue a 4" by 4" block onto each end for the  legs, so that the piece of 
wood sits fairly level and about 4 inches above  whatever you place it on. To 
repair a key whose halves haven't yet  separated, clamp the center where the 
break is, without glue, for the  purpose of getting the 2 halves into the 
right position. Now clamp the key  firmly to the board (I like Irwin ratchet 
clamps) using a few clamps if  necessary. Make and outline of the key with a good 
pencil, remove the key,  glue up the break getting into the cracks with a slim, 
flexible blade, clamp the  break, and then re-clamp the key to the little 
table according to the outline,  making sure to clamp it firmly so that both 
sections are flush with the table.  In this way the key's bottom will end up 
perfectly flat, and there's no  chance that the key will end up "pointing" to the 
right or left, because it's  glued according to the outline. In a case where 
the key is in two  pieces,you can treat it the same way or make an outline of an 
adjacent key,  which will probably be more accurate.
 
Jesse Gitnik   NYC
Since 1980
 
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