Power Sanders and Ivory Keys

[David Love]

I've found that scraping the ivory first with a stiff mat knife blade, or 
razor blade, gets much of the yellowing off prior to fine sanding.  I will 
then take it down using form 1000 to 1500 grit and polish with a firm 
buffing wheel and polish using a light touch.  To bleach them, if necessary, 
you need at least a 15% peroxide solution (drugstore type is 2-3%).  Use 
gloves!  Wipe the keys with the peroxide solution on a cotton ball and put 
it out in the sun or under a tube type UV light suspended over the keys 
about 12-14" for a few hours.  Don't worry that the solution seems to 
evaporate immediately, there is still chemical activity going on.  Excercise 
caution because the bleaching can come out uneven if the solution is too 
strong, put on unevenly, or the light is too close.  Check it frequently and 
don't stare into the lights.

David Love

>From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey@jps.net>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: RE: Power Sanders and Ivory Keys
>Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 07:12:49 -0800
>
>I would be concerned about round edges?  What is the last grade of 
>sandpaper you use?  Do you eliminate all scratches?
>
>David I.
>
>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>
>On 2/16/01 at 5:47 PM Piesik, John (JPIESIK) wrote:
>
> >Laura,
> >
> >Just buffing is fine for ivory that's already white and in good 
>condition.
> >
> >But when the ivory keytops are rough and yellowed, you've got to sand 
>them
> >to smooth them and remove the staining. Most of the yellow staining, 
>which
> >occurs in layers through the ivory, can be removed with careful sanding.
> >The
> >amount of material that gets removed is not as much as you might think.
> >
> >Some have claimed to have had luck with black lights, UV lights, Mr. Sun
> >and
> >hydrogen-peroxide solutions for whitening ivory, but frankly, I've tried
> >these and they are not as effective as sanding. Plus, lighting fixtures
> >require electricity, and here in California, electricity is a very
> >expensive
> >commodity these days.
> >
> >Sanding ivory is not harmful as long as you're careful about controlling
> >the
> >rate of material removal - I guess this takes experience. The sanding and
> >polishing process must occur at a safe pace and with a minimal amount of
> >heat. Most ivory keyboards can be restored to their almost original color
> >(at a minimum they can be lightened several shades). I've restored 
>numerous
> >ivory sets - and they turn out beautiful.
> >
> >I'm on a quest for a quicker way to sand through the yellow staining and 
>a
> >better way to polish the ivory with a method that produces less heat than 
>a
> >buffing wheel.
> >
> >John Piesik, RPT
> >Oceanside, CA
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Laura Olsen [mailto:laura257@chicagonet.net]
> >Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 12:26 PM
> >To: pianotech@ptg.org
> >Subject: RE: Power Sanders and Ivory Keys
> >
> >
> >It seems to me you could get yourself in a world of trouble power sanding
> >ivories.  They're thin enough as it is.  Wouldn't they become more 
>brittle?
> >I use A buffing wheel.  It polishes them up nicely.
> >
> >Laura Olsen, RPT
> >Team2001 Institute Director
> >44th Annual PTG Convention & Institute
> >July 11-15, 2001
> >Reno, Nevada
> >http://www.ptg.org/conv.htm
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
> >Of Piesik, John (JPIESIK)
> >Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 12:24 PM
> >To: Pianotech Post Msg (E-mail)
> >Subject: Power Sanders and Ivory Keys
> >
> >
> >Does anyone out there have any experience with sanding and polishing 
>ivory
> >keytops with a palm-type orbital power finishing sander?
> >
> >I'd like to learn of your experiences with power sanders, which power
> >sander
> >models are best (Bosch vs Makita, variable speed controls, pad shapes,
> >motor
> >amps, weight, etc), etc. Also, how well do power sanders work at 
>polishing?
> >
> >The main objective is to keep the heat produced by friction to a minimum
> >(heat compromises the keytop glue joint). I've long ago discovered that
> >working by hand is the safest way to work with ivory while providing the
> >most control. However, of course, it's also the most laborious method. 
>But,
> >just maybe there's a better/quicker way...
> >
> >Many Thanks,
> >John Piesik, RPT
> >Oceanside, CA
>
>
>

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