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<DIV><FONT size=2>I have also experimented with spare ivory tops, =
using laundry
bleach. I soaked for different lengths of time. Some for =
several
hours. I do remember that they turned to mush. Literally =
mush.
The tails I soaked would not hold their own weight. It was like =
picking up
pasta. I don't remember how the shorter times turned out. =
But, the
impression I took away from the experiment was that bleach is probably =
not the
best for ivory.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Mike Bratcher</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=Tvak@aol.com href="mailto:Tvak@aol.com">Tvak@aol.com</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 06, 2004 =
7:32
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> bleaching ivories: =
E-Z</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT face=Geneva =
color=#000000
size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">List<BR><BR>I remember a thread about =
bleaching
ivories a few months back and my time came this week to try it. =
Three
ivories were missing on the piano and going to my stock of old ivories =
I could
find only 4 or 5 that were long enough. Unfortunately, they were =
really yellow
and didn't match their prospective neighbors in the least. =
<BR><BR>There
was discussion on the thread about sunlight and peroxide and it seemed =
to be a
pretty complicated procedure. Having nothing to lose but one old =
ivory...<BR><BR>I filled a cup with some laundry bleach and threw in =
one of
the keys. Twenty minutes later it was a perfect white. So, =
I threw
in the other two and they also turned white, but unfortunately I left =
them in
too long and they warped into a shallow U shape. I put them side =
by side
on the bench, laid my aluminum ruler on top of them, and put my =
bowling ball
on top of that. (I had to set a book next to the bowling ball to =
keep it
from rolling off the bench.)<BR><BR>End result: three perfectly =
matching white
ivories. Whomsoever said that laundry bleach wouldn't work: not
true!<BR><BR>Tom Sivak<BR>Chicago</FONT><FONT face=Geneva =
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