>I picked up a set of keys yesterday that had grosly expanded key leads due >to oxidation. Several of the keys have split due to the increased size of >the leads. I'm going to remove them and replace them with new leads. > >I've never seen leads expand this far before. They are all under >excessive pressure. Does anyone have a favorite methood of removing leads >this tight without putting additional pressure on the keys. I don't want >to split any more keys due to this proceedure. > >Dave Porritt, RPT >SMU - Dallas Dave, You could make a clamp consisting of two pieces of wood which go over each side of the key with holes drilled in the sides of the wood. By securely clamping the key between the wood pieces (like a sandwich) and knocking the leads out through the holes, you might be able to remove the leads without any further damage to the keys. Short of that, I agree with Ron Torrella that drilling them out should work, although I prefer a Forstner bit, which will remove more of the lead and leave you with just a thin rim of lead around the inside of the hole. If you do drill them out, be sure to drill at a slow speed and avoid the lead which is sure to be flying around. Good luck! Tom Seay The Unversity of Texas at Austin t.seay@mail.utexas.edu
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