<html> At 11:54 AM 12/11/2002 -0500, Ken wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>How about alcohol and shellac flakes, I'm sure it would be the least offensive, but does it work?  Susan Kline? Tell us about it.</blockquote> I haven't done a set of grand hammers from scratch, just a set of upright hammers. I've used it now and then (from a dropper bottle) to add some brightness, by laying a couple of drops right behind the strike area. It brightens a little more than I like if I use it in the strike lines, but it does needle down pretty well. Very non-toxic, which of course is what attracted me. Also, shellac has a pleasant habit of shattering with heavy use, instead of getting harder and harder. It doesn't have quite the edgy shattering-glass sound of keytop. If made up with 190 proof alcohol and kept in a well-sealed container, shellac dries very fast once applied. I use a fairly dilute "cut", which I never have bothered to measure. And shellac very compatible with "vodka" if one needs to soften it, since it dissolves readily in alcohol.  Try it -- tell me what you think. Susan </html>