(no subject)

[gordon stelter]

I believe, generally speaking, that a rotary planer
(such as Safe-T-Planer, as Pianotek sells, is used to
plane down the keytops to allow for the difference in
thickness of new tops vs. old ivory. Then the plastic
tops are glued on with water-based contact cement ( at
least that's how the ones I ship to Pianotek are done)
which holds well enough without the grief described by
my esteemed cohort, Mr. Barnard.
     Barnard

--- tune4u@earthlink.net wrote:
> Some comments (won't answer all questions):
> 
> 1. Contact cement will eat holes in the plastic if
> it gets on the playing
> surface and isn't IMMEDIATELY wiped off. Getting the
> alignment thing right
> is not as scare as it sounds. Keeping the keytops
> clean is as scary as I've
> tried to make it sound, here. I had to redo about 20
> keys, my first time,
> because I thought -- aint' ignorance grand -- I
> could just clean them up by
> rolling the glue off like rubber cement on paper
> (Hey, it LOOKS like rubber
> cement!) If there is a better glue, I want to hear
> about it. Some have
> recommended thick CA with a white glue "kicker" (see
> archives). Haven't
> tried it; seems like it would make the alignment
> thing really scary.
> 
> 2. If the old tops come off without taking a lot of
> wood, a little light,
> light sanding will prepare old keys for gluing on
> plastic covers. Use WET
> rag and hot iron to soften the old glue. With luck
> the old tops will peal
> right off. If they are true ivories, BTW, "pop" them
> off (after steaming, if
> necessary) and save the best ones--or send them to
> me!
> 
> 3. If the fronts will come off--I have had good luck
> with a beveled scraper
> like the Red Devil 5-in-one painter's tool and using
> a hammer to tap the
> bevel between the head and the keystick--then
> replace with a top & front
> single top (Schaff 1391 or 1391 are fine). If the
> fronts are stubborn and/or
> are in good shape, you can just use tops w/o fronts
> but match the color as
> best you can--Vagias has great selection (Ventures,
> Inc. 724-869-2842).
> Match original thickness to avoid problems.
> 
> 4. First time, plan on several evenings at your
> workbench ...
> 
> Have fun.
> 
> Alan Barnard
> Salem, MO
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
> Behalf Of Mickey Kessler
>   Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 7:09 PM
>   To: pianotech@ptg.org
>   Subject: (no subject)
> 
> 
>   Hi all,
> 
>   I'm considering replacing all the keytops on a PSO
> owned by my cousin.  If
> this were a really good instrument I'd probably just
> send the keys out to a
> recovering house (actually, I'd turn the whole thing
> over to somebody who's
> really into rebuilding, which I'm not), but it's a
> piece of junk -- or
> rather, an opportunity for learning -- so I want to
> do it for the
> experience.
> 
>   A few questions:
> 
>   1.  Reblitz describes a procedure that's based on
> using contact cement.
> This scares me; it doesn't allow for much error.  On
> the other hand, if I
> use more forgiving glue, it'll require clamping,
> which the Reblitz procedure
> seems to preclude (he says to shim a straightedge to
> the keyslip in order to
> line up all the keyfronts exactly the same).  Can
> anybody recommend a better
> procedure that will also ensure uniformity?  And
> while we're on the subject,
> what's the best glue to use?
> 
>   2.  The supply houses sell a variety of keytops. 
> Any preferences
> regarding one-piece tops and fronts as opposed to
> two-piece?  I'm thinking
> now that I'll use the one-piece.  Am I asking for
> trouble? Would I learn
> more by using two-piece?  Should I get thick or thin
> or doesn't it matter?
> Do the one-piece tops require clamping in two
> directions?
> 
>   3.  Do I need to figure on resurfacing all the
> wood?  Can I do that
> without the expensive Oslund machines that Reblitz
> describes?  How bad must
> the surface be before it should be resurfaced?  I'm
> guessing the thick
> plastic tops will take up a lot of unevenness -- am
> I wrong?
> 
>   4.  Any thoughts about how much time I should
> allot for the job?
> 
>   Thanks to everybody out there for sharing all your
> knowledge.  I've
> learned more from this group than from just about
> any other source.  The
> generosity of this profession is truly admirable.
> 
>   Mickey Kessler
>   PTG Assoc.
> 
> 


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