ivories

[Dave Nereson]

    The ivories I've encountered don't differ in width by much, but
sometimes they are a bit narrow.  I just try to center them.  I hate to
trim the sides of the key wood, but sometimes I will.  It doesn't look
great from the front, but it's usually only on pianos that are in their
last days that I'll do that.  For a "nice" piano or expensive grand, I
guess I'd hold off until I got some more ivories that were wide enough.
It seems upright ivories are in many cases a bit shorter front-to-back
than grand ivory heads.
     I dismantled an old birdcage-action piano that wasn't worth
restoring.  Will use the case for a desk or computer hutch.  The ivories
were perfect, and since the keys weren't going to be re-used, I just
stuck them in a bucket of soapy water to let them soak and fall off.
When bleaching and drying them on paper towels in the window sill,
however, you have to keep turning them over or they'll curl.
    When gluing ivories, I've never found a convenient way to keep the
ivory from sliding out of position when the clamp is tightened down on
the brass "head plate".   Some are particularly nasty about this.  I've
tried using a different clamp,  and flattening the end of the clamp
screw so it doesn't try to twist the brass plate around, and have even
used a small machinist's clamp lightly on the sides of the key to keep
the ivory flush with the key sides.  The brass plate is wider than the
key, however, so this side clamp can't stick up above the top of the
ivory.   There must be some better clamps or an easier way!  --Dave
Nereson, Denver Chapter PTG.

On another subject, I've read or heard that the total downward pressure
on the soundboard is about 1500 lbs., and that the approximate downward
pressure of one string on the bridge is about 7 lbs.    1500/240 strings
= 6.25 lbs. per string and  7 lbs. x 240 strings = 1680 lbs. total. , so
these two figures are in the same ballpark.   That means a 42-string
bass bridge would have about 300 lbs. pressing down on it.  Can that be
right?  Many bass bridges are cantilevered out  --  no matter how good
the glue joint, and even with screws into the apron from the back of the
soundboard, it seems that two 150-lb. people standing on the
cantilevered bass bridge would break it right off!

Also, how do I unsubscribe to the digest?  I enjoy this list and am
learning a lot, but don't see the point of the digest if I read all the
list messages anyway.  Thanks.  --Dave. dnereson@dim.com