Filling fingernail gouges in sides of keys

[David Love]

What did you remove the oils with: scraping? Mineral spirits?

Unfortunately (or fortunately), hindsight is not applicable here as I didn't
install the keytops.  

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Mike Morvan
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 4:53 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Filling fingernail gouges in sides of keys

David,
    We do a lot of this work by machining off the eroded area and replacing 
it with wood of the same species and grain orientation, and in an ideal 
world I believe that this method is the best way to do the restoration, most

other procedures are temporary fixes. Plus with this method you can take up 
the slack between the keys and improve the spacing while correcting the 
erosion.
    But with the circumstances as you have described that is not an option. 
You could use Durham's rock hard water putty, it is not solvent-based so it 
will not dissolve the keytop and it is close in color to the keystick. I 
have done this a few times in the past and the only problem is that you need

to get out all of the oils deposited by fingers over the years or the stuff 
will not stick. Unfortunately you find out that it didn't stick when it is 
dry, not when your putting it on, wasting a lot of time. It's also a bummer 
to already have the new keytops on while applying the putty, yikes, 
hindsight is always 20/20. Good luck.   Mike

Blackstone Valley piano
Michael A. Morvan
76 Sutton Street
Uxbridge, Ma 01569
(508) 278-9762
www.pianoandorgankeys.com
www.thepianorebuilders.com