bone keytops

[Joel Rappaport]

Gordon,

This is not a direct answer to all your questions, but if you and your
customer would consider having all the keys replaced, using the original
frame (very little woodwork is then involved), the Kluge Company of
Germany can do this and they have a limited supply of bone.  The way
they process the material, it is just as white as ivory (or white
plastic, too), but the grain is a little more coarse looking.  Because
it is porous, it has the absorbtion and warmth properties of ivory, and
it is legal.  Yes, it is more expensive.  I don't know of any key
recovering services in the U.S.A. that use this material.

Not long ago, I mentioned that I have some printed information about
this and had a hefty response from this Newsgroup.  So I made up a bunch
more copies.  If you or anyone else listening would like this
information (handout from our class on this subject plus an
inquiry/order form from Kluge) email me with your mailing address and
I'll get it out to you via snail mail right away.  Click on the
following, insert a subject and type in your message:  (works in
Netscape, I know and maybe other mail readers....)

mailto:joelr@flash.net

Also, this is one of the classes we will be giving in Kansas City at the
KC Chapter Seminar in February.  Please visit the web page that Kathleen
Vanderhoofven has so beautifully put together for the seminar at:

http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/seminar.html

Joel Rappaport
Round Rock, Texas

PNOTNR@aol.com wrote:
> I have a customer who really wants to save her ivory
> keytops, but they are way beyond saving.  I'd like to know if anyone here has
> used the bone material for keytops.
>
> My questions are:
>
> Is this comparable to plastic from a price standpoint?  (I haven't called
> Nelson Woodworking yet)
>
> Is the material hard to work with?
>
> Does it look reasonably like ivory?
>
> Do any of the people who sell key recovering jobs use the bone material?
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> Gordon Large
> Maine