Bone keytops

[Mark Story]

Hi Paul,

On Sun, 18 Feb 1996 PSIWKO@aol.com wrote:

> Actually I was wondering if any of you guys (pianotech list) ever experinced
> a  pianist complaining about the lack of friction on the ivory. Did you do
> anything to accomodate him/her before the recital?  [ what about laquer! :) ]

Last year, here visiting the Spokane Symphony, was a nervous little chap
(don't remember who it was) that told me after he had rehearsed that
there was something on the keytops.  When I examined them, I found them
spotted with some kind of goo that was totally foreign to me.  I tried
to wash them with water and then light soap, but it wouldn't budge.
Finally I borrowed some denatured alcohol from the stage manager that
did the trick.  By his dimeanor, (he acted pretty "sheepish") I was pretty
sure that he had tried an experiment that backfired.  I wondered if he
had tried some of that stuff that bank tellers dab their fingers with
when they count currency - it seemed about that consistancy.

> This is my first posting on this list and would like to welcome everybody in
> the pianotech world in the USA. Currently I am associated with the Indiana
> University and live in Bloomington, IN.

Welcome to the list.  Interesting topic for your first post.  I had
contemplated bringing this up myself once.

Mark Story, RPT

mstory@ewu.edu
Eastern Washington University Music Department
Cheney, Washington, USA