balance rail bushing removal

[Fred Sturm]

	It being bulk keybushing time, while steaming out a set of bushings I 
called to mind a question posted a few months back, I think by Wim. The 
question referred to removal of those balance rail bushing that have the 
fold of felt that goes under the button. Here's how I do it.
	After a good pre-soak with wall-paper/acetic solution (maybe two 
applications to ensure it wicks all the way through to the edges - look and 
see that it does), and a good steaming (so the felt is already pulling away 
from the sides), grasp the felt with a tweezer and push down into the 
mortise, then lift upward. The downward motion almost always will serve to 
pull the felt out of the slot between button and key. With practice this 
becomes a single, fluid motion. Much of the time. it can even be possible 
to grasp both sides at once and push/pull them out.
	If this is unsuccessful for a few keys (numbers 1 and 88 are common 
culprits due to extra wide buttons, but sometimes there are a few other 
troublesome ones), push the felt in from the outside of the slot, using a 
thin slotted screwdriver. If you have your keys in clamps, a tool for the 
purpose can be made from scrap music wire (broken bass string) by making a 
tiny 90 degree bend in the end of the wire. That little bend can be 
insinuated between keys and worked in the slot.
	A few months late, but maybe it will help someone else who is in 
keybushing heaven.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico