<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1264" = name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0px; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 5px 10px = 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bgColor=#ffffff background="" scroll=yes ORGYPOS="0"> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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=mmrr6596@bigpond.net.au = href="mailto:mmrr6596@bigpond.net.au">Robin Stevens</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 06, 2004 = 2:30 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Ivory or Walrus?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <TABLE id=INCREDIMAINTABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 = width="100%" border=0><TBODY> <TR> <TD id=INCREDITEXTREGION style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; CURSOR: auto; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" = width="100%"> <DIV>Going back to requests on how to stick on ivories, no-one = spoke about the different type of "Ivory" key tops used.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> Maybe someone can put me straight whether =  there is such a thing as Walrus key tops.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As long as I have been involved in this trade (45 years) I = was always told that the much thinner and VERY transparent tops put = on American pianos were made out of Walrus tusks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Fact or fiction? </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>PS In the field I use a typist's wipe out pen for the = whitening, and if the surface is cleaned and prepared properly, CA works = for me.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Regards</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> Robin Stevens</DIV> <DIV>Convener "INTUNE SA 2004"</DIV> <DIV>22-25 July 2004 Mercure Grosvenor Adelaide SA</DIV> <DIV>08 8633 0533 <A = href="mailto:mmrr6596@bigpond.net.au">mmrr6596@bigpond.net.au</A></DIV>= </TD></TR> <TR> <TD id=INCREDIFOOTER width="100%"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD width="100%"></TD> <TD id=INCREDISOUND vAlign=bottom align=middle></TD> <TD id=INCREDIANIM vAlign=bottom = align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <DIV>Fiction, as far as I know, although probably some walrus = ivory has been used on some pianos.   The Journal had a series of = articles some years back about Ivoryton, Connecticut, where almost all = the sets of ivories for American pianos were cut and processed in = the early part of the 20th century, and no mention was made of = walrus.  There were several different grades, shades, and thicknesses of = ivory and the translucence (transparent means clear like glass) has more = to do with the thickness and what's under it than what animal it came from.  The overwhelming majority of it, whether on = American or European pianos, was from elephants.  I disagree that = American pianos have "transparent" (translucent) ivories.  When = they're removed from the key, cleaned, and held up to the light, most of = them are opaque or nearly so.</DIV> <DIV>    --David Nereson, RPT  </DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>