<HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY>Since the kangaroo skin only comes in one thickness how do= you get the control different thicknesses gives you?  = I believe Bill Spurlock used and sanding disk? David= I. <DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px;= PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid;= PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <HR> Original message From: Roger Jolly= <ROGER.J@SASKTEL.NET> To: Pianotech= <PIANOTECH@PTG.ORG> Received: Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:25:30= -0600 Subject: Re: Leather key bushings Hi Ted and= Dale,          &= nbsp;          =          Ted gave me the= Kangaroo hide several years ago. At least 5 ( tempus= fugit)  These pianos have been in University use that long= with no problems, and little or no wear. Perfect material for= practice rooms. Regards Roger At 01:38 PM= 4/8/2005, you wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">   The following post is a  reply to my= inquiry to/from MR. Sambel <DL> <DD>Hello Dale! <DD>  <DD>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 together we visited Edwin Good, author of= "Giraffes, Black Dragons and other Pianos' in Eugene, Oregon,= and saw the Cristofori reproduction he and Anita have recently= acquired. And since then I have attended the PNWC in Renton, Wa.= where I did four classes .Great fun! <DD>About leather key bushings; I feel exactly as you that cloth= is really 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 running round London (UK)= there were all kinds of German pianos, especially Bechsteins and= Bluthners with leather key bushings which seemingly did not wear= and were remarkably trouble free. About ten years ago Bill= Spurlock advocated the use of kangaroo skin in the Journal and I= went on a quest to find some, without 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 rebushed 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 was not a satisfactory= solution, and then, believe it or not the answer was under my= nose. Kangaroo skin was in the Schaff catalog! I had overlooked= it because it is listed under player piano supplies on page 143,= and I had never bothered 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 $70 at the time. The= catalog says it is tan colored, but it turned out to be black,= which really doesn't matter. It was really beautiful and I did= several sets with it , using hide glue and putting the shiny= skin side to the pin. I gave 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 experience. 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 retired not too long after and= left the Banff Centre, I could not check on the long term wear,= but I hope to visit there next year and see. I had always= wondered 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 Tuners 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= class). So there you have it. Sometimes one has to wait a= lifetime to find an answer. 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. <DD>  <DD>Warmest regards, Ted <DL> <DD>----- Original Message ----- <DD>From: <A= href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> <DD>To: <A= href="mailto:edward.sambell@sympatico.ca">edward.sambell@sympati= co.ca</A> <DD>Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 10:14 PM <DD>Subject: Leather key bushings <DD> Hi Ted <DD>  Greetings from sunny Calif. <DD>  I was wondering if you could enlighten me about= applying leather key bushings & what material you use. I'd= like to use a material that holds up better than felt in hihg= use situations. I have had some sets wear out in a year which is= as you know , unacceptable. <DD>   I really enjoyed our lunch together in= Sacramento. Great fun. <DD>   Hope you are well & enjoying life, <DD>   Dale Erwin <DD>  <DD>Erwins Pianos Restorations <DD>4721 Parker Rd. <DD>Modesto, Ca 95357 <DD>209-577-8397 <DD>Rebuilt Steinway , Mason &Hamlin Sales <DD><A href="http://www.erwinspiano.com/"= eudora="autourl">www.Erwinspiano.com</A> </DD></DL= ></DD></DL><FONT= size=3> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BODY></HTML>