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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>John,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I have found buffing =
to be more
of an art than a science. When your buffing ivory and bone you are =
doing
two things, one is smoothing the surface and removing fine scratches, =
the other
is sealing the pores. When your buffing plastic you are smoothing and =
removing
fine scratches and not necessarily sealing it because plastic is not =
porous. I
have found that a sewn canton flannel buff followed by =
an loose
canton flannel buff works well for me. Take into consideration that when =
you are
buffing you are simply putting the icing on the cake. What do I mean? =
Buffing is
to shine and seal (in the case of ivory and bone.) The surface =
preparation
should already be done. Buffing removes fine scratches well, and will =
leave a
perfectly flat surface. If one relies on buffing to remove deep pits and =
scratches, this is where problems arise. The surface will not be =
perfectly flat,
and heat will be generated. Heat will crack and burn ivory and =
bone, heat
will melt and deform plastic. The trick is surface preparation, keep the =
key
moving, and apply the proper pressure. Compound or rouge plays a role =
also.
Compound can contain abrasives, you want to be sure that you are using a =
buffing
compound and not a cutting compound. A cutting compound will leave as =
many
scratches and lines in the top as you are trying to remove. I look at =
buffing
keys as I look at refinishing a piano case. Your surface preparation and =
repairs
must be done first, spraying lacquer on a piano sanded and left in 80 =
grit will
not be as smooth and look as good as a case sanded to 600 grit, =
grain-filled and
sprayed.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca =
href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">John
Ross</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> Sunday, March 06, 2005 =
12:06
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Moulded Keytops, =
problems
buffing</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Hi,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Joe had mentioned problems
buffing.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I also have problems in this
area.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I had thought on a softer buffing =
wheel, but
have been unable to find a source. The selections available at my =
suppliers,
are limited. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Any ideas?</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I had thought on slowing the wheel =
down. Would
that help?</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>John M. Ross</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial><A
href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca</A>
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=keymaestro@verizon.net =
href="mailto:keymaestro@verizon.net">MICHAEL
MORVAN</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> Sunday, March 06, 2005 =
11:50
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Moulded =
Keytops</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I agree with you =
100%, thank
you, it is wonderful that you know these things and are willing to =
share
them. Molded keytops are all the same dimension within one set. =
Keysticks
unfortunately are not (except for several sets of Yamaha keys I've =
covered
that were within 0.004 of each other). I've found that most =
sets of
keys differ in length, width and height. I have one set of keys I'm
recovering now where the keysticks vary in width up to 0.065. This =
makes
recovering them tricky. If you have a keystick wider than the top =
you will
have to trim the stick, if the top is wider you will have to trim =
the top.
Molded tops being the same width have the contours and radiuses =
"molded"
into them, so if you trim this you will, as you said then have to =
reshape
them, the radiuses and contour to match and yes, the dreaded =
buffing. I
prefer to apply what I call custom tops. This is similar to =
factory
procedures in which you apply a separate top and front. If done this =
way one
can trim the excess and shape the keys regardless of the =
inconsistencies in
width and yield good visual results. I've found that buffing plastic =
and
ivory both have there areas of concern, but I use different wheels =
and
techniques for both with good results. On the topic of keytop =
materials, I'm
pretty sure I have all of the material available within the =
states and
offer them. I have also acquired material from Aug. Laukhuff =
and Otto
Heuss from Germany as well as P&S organ supply from England. =
These
materials are of very high quality and texture but expense prevents =
their
wide use. I've noticed that piano manufacturers are trending towards =
thicker
and thicker tops, this means replacement tops will need to be =
thicker. I
actually have a stash of keytop material that is 0.105 thick, but =
very
rarely use them. I am not adverse to machining down the keystick to
accommodate a new top because I am doing it on milling machines with =
tolerances to within a few thousandths of an inch, and it must be =
done. If
one measures a keystick at 0.970 and is putting on a top that is =
0.075 than
you machine the key to 0.895 and you have retained the original =
dimension.
The original dimension must be maintained or there will be a =
regulation
nightmare. In some cases I find that a keystick has been =
machined with
little regard for tolerances, and then a corrective measure must be =
applied.
Three choices exist, have a new keyboard made, use a thicker or =
thinner top
(depending on which direction the error is made), or build up the =
keys. Two
of these choices are very expensive. Keytop replacement is tricky =
and is a
decision that should be well thought out. The keyboard is a =
major focal
point of the piano, it is the interaction point with the piano and =
is the
foundation of all regulation. It is a challenge to balance =
appearance,
playability and economy. Joe, what do you mean by "stink in my =
shop?" are
you referring to a particular glue or the smell of machining off old =
plastic
and ivory? Mike</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- =
</DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=joegarrett@earthlink.net
href="mailto:joegarrett@earthlink.net">Joe Garrett</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> Sunday, March 06, =
2005 1:03
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Moulded =
Keytops</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael Morvan said: "<FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>The quality of the keytop, =
quality of the
=<BR>piano, quality of the rebuild, preference of the customer, =
knowledge
and =<BR>preference of the technician and budget. Crappy =
"molded" keytops
are =<BR>nice if applied properly, and three thousand dollars =
worth of new
ivory =<BR>is "crappy" if not applied properly. Molded keytops =
have the
advantage =<BR>of being inexpensive, uniform in shape and =
appearance, and
relatively =<BR>easy to apply with minimal skill, tooling and =
yields fair
results. A =<BR>disadvantage is that many people feel that =
they are
a cheap top and as a =<BR>result do not use =
them."</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Michael,</DIV>
<DIV>What you've said, I agree with. However, it's what you didn't =
say
about moulded keytops that concerns me.</DIV>
<DIV>1. Moulded keytops assumes that all key sets are the same =
dimension,
which they are not. Therefore, trimming is necessary. Here lies =
the rub,
as trimming of moulded keytop material is far more difficult than =
other
materials. Especially in making the key set look consistant and =
have a
smooth feel under the players hands. Secondly, if you've ever had =
to (try)
to buff out scratches of moulded key top material, (and I'm sure =
you have,
if you do keytops for a living.), it's next to impossible, as the =
material
is too soft and will "burn/gaul" when even light pressure on a =
buffing
wheel is applied. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's a =
royal pain
in the patoot to do!<G> Lastly, my aversion to moulded =
keytops is
that it is too thick, especially for many older pianos with tight
tolerances of the piano furniture. This requires milling the =
keystick
down. I am totally averse to this practice for many reasons. Some =
of the
"moulded keytop material" from Europe is better as some of it is =
what we
call "Plexiglass". This material can be sanded and buffed. It's =
still too
thick for my eye.<G> I too do keytops, but as only part of =
my
overall service to my clients. I used to have someone else do it, =
as I
really don't like the stink in my shop. Out of frustration with =
others
I've taken to doing it....stink or not.<G></DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<BR>Captain, =
Tool
Police<BR>Squares R
I</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>