[pianotech] Ivory

[Ken & Pat Gerler]

Attached is what a player/reproducer restorer did with old Ivory keytop 
material from pianos that were beyond restoring. He took the tops along with 
about and 1/8" of wood below to accomplish the Ivory Inlay on the Monkey 
Organ.

Ken Gerler


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas Cole" <tcole at cruzio.com>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 10:10 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Ivory


>I can't remember being asked for the old ivory, but now that you've brought 
>this up, I will in the future declare when the keys are picked up that the 
>old ivory will be either discarded because of damage or kept for field 
>repairs, to head off such an event happening to me.
>
> I have spoken to scrimshaw artists about taking old ivory but never got 
> anyone interested, even if it was free. Maybe the ivory is too thin?
>
> Tom Cole
> Santa Cruz, CA (a city full of artists)
>
> David Pritchard wrote:
>> What do you guys and gals do with all the chipped ivory heads when you 
>> replace the ivory with plastic?
>>
>> I recently took the keys out of an old upright for a client and sent them 
>> off to have new keytops put on.  I kept the 20 or so ivory heads that 
>> weren't chipped in case I can use them on someone's piano that is missing 
>> a couple ivories.  I also kept a few of the tails.  But I sent the keys 
>> with the rest of the tails and chipped ivory heads to the place that was 
>> doing the new keytops.  I'm not sure what they do with all the old ivory.
>>
>> I just called my client back to say that the keys are ready to be put in, 
>> and she said her relatives say she never should have let me take the 
>> ivory and she wants it back.  I told her I could give her the heads I 
>> kept, but of course they are mixed in with others I have saved from the 
>> past, so it will be difficult.  I assume she thinks it has some value. 
>> Is it valuable?
>>
>> David
>> Scottsbluff, Nebraska
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------
>> Music for Media • Mobile Recording
>> http://www.davidpritchard.com
>> -------------------------------------------------
>> 
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