Slippery Ivorys

[Les Smith]

Hi, Mitch. First, I don't think that you want to be washing those old ivories
with water. Water (and water-based glues) can cause the ivory to warp; also,
water can seep through the pores of the ivory and lift the keytop from the
keystick. Secondly, when the rebuilder buffed the keys, he probably did so
on a power buffing wheel, using tripoli, or a similar buffing compound. When
buffing ivory this way, they come out looking like glass, but lose, in the
process, those tactile properties which make ivory desireable in the first
place. All is not lost, however, assumimg that the ivories are still flat.

Pull several keys from the middle of the keyboard. Holding the ivory at al-
most eye level, view the head from the side, with a light behind it. Is the
surface of the head flat, or is there a depression in the head caused by wear
and tear from 3/4 of a century of playing? In most pianos with original ivory
you will find some wear. In extreme cases I have seen the front of the ivory
completely worn down to the wooden keystick. If the heads show a lot of wear,
you'll probably be better off replacing the keytops. If the heads show only
minimal or moderate wear, you can try the following.

First separate the action from the keyframe and set it aside. Next remove the
black keys, so that only the white ones remain on the keyframe. Using a long
piece of wood between the key buttons and the ivory tails, clamp down the
keys so that they are in their "down" position. Next take some 320 grit sand-
ing paper on a rubber sanding block, and sand the ivory heads and tails --
FROM BACK TO FRONT ONLY, NEVER SIDEWAYS!-- until all traces of the gloss-
ness is gone. When finished, clean the sanded ivories with a soft cloth,
DAMPENED with naptha. Next, repeat the back and forth sanding operation, but
this time use 0000 steel wool dampened with naptha. When finished clean the
ivories thoroughly with a soft cloth dampened with naptha. Put the black keys
back in the keyframe, reattach the action, put it back in the piano and
you're ready to go. In the future, when the ivories get dirty, clean them
with a soft cloth dampened with naptha. If they get really dirty, you
canm clean them with 0000 steel wool dampened with naptha. Then go over them
a second time with a soft, dry cloth.

I do a lot of work on vintage pianos with original ivory keyboards and the
procedure out-lined above has worked for me for almost 40 years.

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net

On Sat, 6 Jul 1996 Almida@aol.com wrote:

> I need some help with my ivory keys.
>
> These are original ivory's from a 1923 B.  The piano was rebuilt last year.
>  The rebuilder said he just buffed the keys.  They did have a gloss to them.
>
> When I clean the keys with warm water,  they are at their slickest.  As dust
> and oil collect, the keys do get less slick.
>
> Here are some of the things I've tried to decrease the slickness:
>
> 1.  Acetone: At first this left the keys so dry that they had a very
> unnatural feel.  As I added my skin oil the keys became slick again.
>
> 2.  Steel Wool rubbed across the keys:  So far this seemed to work the best.
>  I've lost the gloss which looked good but didn't feel good.
>
> 3.  Bleach:  Left the keys more slippery than steel wool.
>
> I want to clean my keys but am afraid to!  The accumulation of dust and oil
> has left the keys with an uneven texture from key to key but is better than
> having the keys slick after cleaning them
>
> I've not had much experience with ivory keys.  Are they supposed to be more
> slick than modern plastic?  I was excited to own a piano with ivory but now
> I'm in dispair.  Next to my Steinway is an electronic piano with weighted
> plastic keys.  There is a nice drag on my skin when I stroke the white keys
> (a very different feel from the ivory's).
>
> Thanks for your help,
> Mitch
>
>