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<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></BODY></HTML>