<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Dave,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It probably depends on who is going to = play it.  I have a couple of (barely) overhanging ivories on = my piano, and they snag my fingers during some fast passages.  It drives me nuts.  I even managed to cut my finger once on an ivory.  If = the pianist is demanding, especially regarding speed, I'd definitely trim them.  Otherwise... ??</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sarah</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dsmith941@comcast.net = href="mailto:dsmith941@comcast.net">Dave Smith</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 29, 2003 = 12:14 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Keytop Trimming = Question</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Looking for a little help on a keytop = job for my Wing&Son upright project:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is only my second keytop job, so = I am pretty low in the learning curve, but did learn a lot from the first job on = an old Merrifield upright.  Don't worry, these jobs are both = unpaid, learning projects.    But the Wing&Son deserves = probably more than my best effort.  Great old piano, which will be a gift = for my sister when completed.  The old ivory key heads were all missing, = so I removed the key tails, routed down the entire surface using a Genesis = jig (thanks Rick Snelson), so that the thicker new keytops won't make the = keys taller.   Fronts were all good shape, so just cleaned up and = buffed them (ivory).  Got Vagius Satin Ivory one-piece keytops which = match the ivory fronts.  Used PVC-E glue and clamped with rubber bands and = scuba weights.  Keytops in the front part are all almost = exactly the right width and lined up as well as I know how.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here is my question:   The = keytop TAILS are generally lined up perfectly on one side but some overhang the key = just a bit on the other side (generally on the right side of C's and G's, for = example, in the tail area.)  They all fit nicelyhowever, =  when installed with the sharps back in the piano.  <STRONG>Is it more important to have the keytops sides trimmed exactly even with the key = wood, even if the keys fit nicely together and the cracks between them are = straight and even before trimming?</STRONG>  Some of the old keys have = worn and been sanded perhaps to the point that making the keytops exactly fit = the key would probablymake the resulting job look worse.  It seems to be = that the appearance of the final product is the KEY, so to speak, as long as = any overhang of the keytop doesn't cause chipping or other failure = problems, and as long as the tail widths dont create interferrence when installed.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would appreciate any comments, both = on my question, or on the overall job I described.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Smith</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>SW = FL</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>