Slick Key Bushings.

[Fred Sturm]

FWIW, my latest technique is to paint powdered teflon onto one side of
the bushing cloth before gluing it in. (Oh, and I glue the side without
the teflon <g>). I have been very impressed by the initial results, but
haven't been doing it long enough to have a sense for long term. (Small
artist brush to apply loosely, then rub it in with the same brush. Get
it pretty saturated so it looks white). After routine ironing, and after
polishing and lubing pins, my last keyframe had next to no friction -
had to re-iron 4 to 5 keys. 
	BTW, in case this isn't common, a way to check for friction in grand
keybushings, where lead weights in keys make it hard to sense: use jiffy
key leads on the back of the key. Find the number and placement that
will bring the front of the key up, then check for free-floating
movement by just nudging the front of the key. It should move with a
fairly bouncy motion. THen move one of the weights forward less than an
inch, just to the point where the front of the key goes down. CHeck
again for free-floating movement, nudging on the back of the key. Any
hesitation means you have a problem you need to address. 
	Noticing where you place the leads from note to note while doing this
will point out discrepancies, if any, in the original key weighting
(keeping in mind the difference between sharp and natural). Sometimes
these are pretty blatant. If so, mark the ones that stand out, and you
can get a good notion of which keys might want a lead or two removed
before final weighing (and go ahead and do it now - save time later).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico 

John Baird wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the surprise response to my April 5 posting!
> 
> I will be trying CLP on bushings and in the balance holes. This discussion
> has been useful. One suggestion that I haven't put into practice is removing
> all punchings in order to polish the pins. How many do this and how
> significant is the gain in eliminating additional friction for all the
> trouble? You certainly don't want to leave Flitz anywhere, whether you add
> CLP or not, but I think it's possible to do a good, clean, job of polishing
> without removing the punchings. For those who do recommend removing the
> punchings, what system do you use for setting the punchings aside and
> keeping them in order?
> 
> John Baird
> Millikin University
> Decatur, Illinois
>