<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2604" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol= e_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>   The following post is a  reply to my inquiry to/from MR. Sambel</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><= FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size= =2> <DIV>Hello Dale!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Delighted to hear from you; I am very well and had a great time = in Sacramento. Afterwards, I spent a week as a guest of Susan Kline, and toge= ther we visited Edwin Good, author of "Giraffes, Black Dragons and other Pianos= ' in Eugene, Oregon, and saw the Cristofori reproduction he and Anita have rece= ntly acquired. And since then I have attended the PNWC in Renton, Wa. where I d= id four classes .Great fun!</DIV> <DIV>About leather key bushings; I feel exactly as you that cloth is reall= y an inadequate material on heavily used pianos. Long before it is worn out the= touch quality is  seriously compromised. When I was a young tuner run= ning round London (UK) there were all kinds of German pianos, especially Bechst= eins and Bluthners with leather key bushings which seemingly did not wear and w= ere remarkably trouble free. About ten years ago Bill Spurlock advocated the u= se of kangaroo skin in the Journal and I went on a quest to find some, withou= t any luck. So I sent to Renner, Germany, not USA and got some calfskin, supposedly intended for key bushing. It was much too thick and very stiff,= more like a leather belt. It was also an awkward width, about 1" so was wasteful and tricky to bring to 3/8". Anyway I thinned it down and rebushe= d a couple of sets, one being a practise studio Kawai grand. One year later I inspected them and there was no sign of wear whatever. Nonetheless, this w= as not a satisfactory solution, and then, believe it or not the answer was un= der my nose. Kangaroo skin was in the Schaff catalog! I had overlooked it beca= use it is listed under player piano supplies on page 143, and I had never both= ered to look there.Whether they still sell it I don't know, but it would be worthwhile to check. As it was I sent for a whole skin which cost about $7= 0 at the time. The catalog says it is tan colored, but it turned out to be blac= k, which really doesn't matter. It was really beautiful and I did several set= s with it , using hide glue and putting the shiny skin side to the pin. I ga= ve a piece to Roger Jolly to try so as to get another opinion, and he liked it.= I had heard complaints that leather gets noisy, but this was not my experien= ce. The kangaroo skin came at the right thickness and is soft and pliable. The= easiest way to cut it into strips is with a paper cutter of the type found= in offices. I brushed a little teflon powder into the bushings too.As I retir= ed not too long after and left the Banff Centre, I could not check on the lon= g term wear, but I hope to visit there next year and see. I had always wonde= red what leather the old German pianos used, then in 1993 I was with the !APBT= group who went to England and Europe. The UK conference of the Piano Tuner= s Assn, was held in Colchester, sixty miles north of London, and Ingbert Bluthner Haessler came fron Germany to give a class on the old Bluthner action. He mentioned that the bushings were calfskin.(I videotaped the cla= ss). So there you have it. Sometimes one has to wait a lifetime to find an answ= er. Well, I hope ths is useful information for you, and am very interested to = know how it works out for you. And I still remember your wonderful piano.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Warmest regards, Ted</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-L= EFT: #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>Fr= om:</B> <A title=mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=mailto:edward.sambell@sympatico.ca href="mailto:edward.sambell@sympatico.ca">edward.sambell@sympatico.ca<= /A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, April 06, 2005 1= 0:14 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Leather key bushings</DI= V> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV><FONT size=3> Hi Ted</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  Greetings from sunny Calif.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>  I was wondering if you could enlighten me abo= ut applying leather key bushings & what material you use. I'd like to u= se a material that holds up better than felt in hihg use situations. I have h= ad some sets wear out in a year which is as you know , unacceptable.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   I really enjoyed our lunch together in Sacramento. Great fun.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   Hope you are well & enjoying life,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>   Dale Erwin</FONT> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SANSSE= RIF">Erwins Pianos Restorations <BR>4721 Parker Rd.<BR>Modesto, Ca 95357<BR>209-577-8397<BR>Rebuilt Steinway , Mason &Hamlin Sales<BR>www.Erwinspiano.com</FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></FON= T></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>