<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>Alan,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Your message doesn't make sense - ivory hasn't been = legally imported into the U.S. for years. So the terms "relatively new" suggest = plastic. Also, although I suppose it coud be out there, I have never seen "one = piece" ivory. I'd be leary to offer a suggestion on cleaning with this doubt, = and hope others are as well. Is there any grain in the keytops or are they = perfectly smooth?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Roy Ulrich</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM" = title=Wimblees@AOL.COM>Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 12, = 2002 3:53 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: removing tar from ivory</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a = message dated 2/12/02 3:25:50 PM Central Standard Time, <A href="mailto:ReggaePass@AOL.COM">ReggaePass@AOL.COM</A> writes: = <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">Dear Fellow Techs, <BR><BR>Roof tar has made its way = onto the relatively new one-piece ivories on a <BR>client's piano.  Does = anyone know a safe way to remove the tar which won't <BR>alter the ivory? =  All suggestions welcomed, especially the "tried and true" <BR>ones. <BR><BR>Cheers, <BR><BR>Alan Eder <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Alan = <BR><BR>When our cat had kittens, some of them got into a bucket of tar. (Don't ask = how they got in the bucket, and I won't ask how tar got on the ivories.) I = tried cleaning the kittens with gasoline, thinking that would dilute the = tar. The gasoline was diluting the tar, but it wasn't removing it from the fur. = It was just spreading around. <BR><BR>We finally gave up and took the little = darlings to the vet. They told us to use mayonnaise to remove tar from skin and = fur. Try it on the ivories. It would certainly smell a hell of a lot = better. better than gasoline. If the mayonnaise doesn't work, then you'll probably = have to use gasoline. <BR><BR>Wim </FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>