Removing old plastic keys

[David Love]

I have found that you need to do them one by one (as opposed to a group at a 
time).  Use an iron and cover the key to be heated with a piece of aluminum 
foil.  The trick is determining the amount of heat to be applied.  Too 
little and the glue won't soften, too much and the keytop starts to melt.  
Experiment.  Once heated properly the keytop should come off fairly easily.  
Use a sharp chisel to peel it back.  Note the grain direction of the wood.  
Try and take the top off in the direction that the grain is rising or you 
will tend to lift off some pieces.  If pieces of wood come off on the key 
top.  Cut them off with a sharp razor and glue them back on.  If you lose 
some chunks of wood, fill the gaps with West System Epoxy mixed with 
fileting blend and surface the keys as ususal.

David Love


   >From: Richard Brekne <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: pianotech@ptg.org
>Subject: Re: Removing old plastic keys
>Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 08:35:52 +0100
>
>Basically, you want to heat them so that the glue loosens and the keys peel 
>or
>pop right off. You can do this with steam, or with a heat gun or any heat
>source. You dont need to get them burning hot... so if you use a heat gun 
>be
>conservative... you'll find out just how much you need.  Some folks use a 
>damp
>cloth and an iron. Any way you choose can be over done so like I said.. be
>conservative.
>
>Patrick Greene wrote:
>
> > List,
> >
> > I am getting ready to remove some plastic keys from an old upright and
> > replace them with new key tops.  Since I have never done this, I thought 
>I
> > would ask you all what would be the best way to accomplish this without
> > destroying the keys themselves!
> > Thanks
> > Patrick
>
>--
>Richard Brekne
>RPT, N.P.T.F.
>Bergen, Norway
>mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no
>
>

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com