In a message dated 5/15/00 8:24:03 PM Central Daylight Time, charly_tuner@hotmail.com writes: << got a call from a lady today asking if I could replace TWO lost keytops on an old vertical. I have not yet seen the piano, but from her description, they may be ivory. >> Without a doubt, they are ivory and the first place I would look is under the keys for them as one respondent suggested. If that fails, see if you can find some at the piano store you work for. If not, ask a rebuilder or more experienced technician if he/she might have two ivory heads that can be spared. You can expect that this will be an unwelcome request even if you offer to pay for them. There is some question as to whether ivory pieces can be legally sold. I collect them from the occasional key recovering jobs I send to the key recovering specialists. I simply remove the good pieces with a medium heat dry iron placed on the material for about 10 seconds. They pop right off with the fingers or with a thin blade from a knife. You are apt to encounter quite a bit of this. If you are called to tune an old upright with many loose or missing ivories, you can suggest that the keys be recovered and that the key frame be refelted and leveled. There will usually still be many good pieces you can salvage. This will give you excellent experience for doing this kind of work on finer pianos in the future. When you get such a job, don't hesitate to write to the list for tips on this procedure too. The great secret of success is found in how *little* you have to change your regulating adjustments and how few, not how many key leveling punchings you must use. While I do not at all disagree with the advice that Ed and Roger gave, the problem is that your customer might. Those procedures are more appropriate to a very fine instrument worth tens of thousands of dollars. I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked how much it would cost to "just replace 2 (or a small number of) ivories". I had the same mindset that the others have, that it is not such a simple matter as it may seem and quoted a price that seemed to the customer to be completely out of line. The response was always, "Well, I know that they can just be glued back on in a few minutes and that's all I want. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere". They always did and I never got their business. If you can do what the customer wants, just "glue on those 2 ivories for her", you may also get a tuning fee either then or later, possibly other repair work and most importantly, referrals to other customers because of the "excellent job and service" that you provide. Take it or leave it. Here is all you really need to do for an old upright that has 2 missing ivories, provided that you cannot find them in the piano itself. Beg for 2 ivory heads, any color, just as long as they are intact (not chipped or cracked). If they are dirty, first clean off the dirt with soap or detergent. If they are too yellow to match well, get out some Comet type bathroom cleanser and a kitchen scouring pad. Load up the ivory and the pad with the abrasive cleanser and scrub vigorously lengthwise. Most of the oxidation that is yellow will be in the top layer. This will scrub it off. You can buff it afterwards if you have the means but it will probably not be necessary. Just wipe it clean. The cloth piece called the Ivory Wafer will probably still be there but it may be soiled. If so, clean it the same way. It does not have to be perfectly clean and white but it should be cleaned up as much as possible if it is darkly soiled. Now for the proper adhesive, the one offered by this List's own Susan Kline RPT and a most excellent discovery. On the ivory piece, spread some thick viscosity CA glue sparingly but evenly and avoiding the edges. On the key, spread some common Elmer's or other white glue in the same manner. Place the piece carefully and press and hold firmly for about 30 seconds with your thumb and fingers. Release and after another minute or two, wipe any glue squeeze that there may be from the sides. For nearly 30 years I have looked for the ideal adhesive to do the "just glue on 2 ivories" bit and have tried many things. This works better than any other and does not discolor the ivory. If the piece you get is too short, leaving a slight gap between the head and the tail is better than having an obvious "inny". You only need to explain if there is any question or complaint that ivory pieces are hard to come by and that the fit and color can easily be irregular because they are a natural material. Most people who want this service will not expect it to look perfect anyway, they just want *something* there and no plastic in the world looks as good as an ill fitting, off color piece of ivory does. It looks *too* perfect and out of place on that old, time weathered and worn instrument. Charge a service call fee that is appropriate for the time you spend for this minor repair. If you get a tuning out of it too, simply add on a small extra fee that suits both you and the customer. Good luck, Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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