<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"> <style>  </style>  </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-AU link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Terry here in Port Pirie South Australia we have the largest lead smelter in the southern hemisphere. I have always intended to take some of this off cut lead down to the smelter and see if one of their metallurgists would analyse it and maybe explain why it suddenly starts to grow after many decades. The smelter here boasts that the lead they produce here is 99.9999% pure. A month ago I had to cut the leads in a very nice overdamper Schwechten. All of the bass damper leads had grown to the extent that the bass dampers were locked together. I did not feel like taking all of the dampers of so with a bit of juggling I was able to get support under each damper while I chiselled the offending lead off. After doing many of these lead trimming jobs over the years I find that ˝ to ž of a hour you can trim a whole keyboard. If the keys are badly split...that’s another story.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Robin Stevens<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Farrell<br> <b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, 5 March 2008 10:20 PM<br> <b>To:</b> Pianotech List<br> <b>Subject:</b> Re: key leads<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ditto for what Robin says Les. That's what I do. I have a set of Yamy keys to do this to also. The only thing I'd comment on is disposal. I'm not sure what the best thing to do is - but putting the lead in a landfill is definitely NOT a good thing to do. I've got a can where I've been storing junk lead. Maybe when I get enough, I can just drop it off at some metal recycling place - and even get a couple bucks for it.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Terry Farrell</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 3.0pt; margin-left:3.0pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:#E4E4E4'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Les I have found the best way is to have a designated 5/8 (new, or very sharp) chisel in your tool kit just for dealing with this problem. I normally have a old cutting board in my car and place a thick layer of newspaper over the board so that the off cuts can be wrapped up and thrown away. I place the key on the newspaper covered board (keytops upwards) and then apply a downward cut with the chisel, sometimes two cuts are needed if they are thick. Using a file will only clog up after one or two keys. They normally will grow back after a few years so I’ve got no idea if sealing the lead stops them from growing again. Spraying the key with lacquer seems a bit messy when you could do the same job with a small brush.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>Robin Stevens ARPT<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'>South Australia<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:blue'>I have a piano to deal with next week- most of the leads are swelling.  They can't afford to replace them, so my thought is to file them, then spray lacquer on the lead.  The corrosion goes down very little into the actual lead.</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:blue'>Also need to replace most if not all hammer return springs.  Does that lead dust cause the springs to deteriorate and break?<br> les bartlett</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </blockquote> </div> </body> </html>