ivory and bone keytops - Check out Acrylikey

[rjwag@pacifier.com]

Don't know if this applies per se, but you might check out
http://www.wagner-technical.com for ivory key repair rather than
replacement.

> Terry,
>     Ivory and bone are natural materials. My experience in applying new
> ivory and bone as well as restoring factory applied ivory and bone is
> this. Ivory is translucent (slightly see-thru) and a linen wafer
> underneath makes it appear white. Bone is less translucent and remains
> an off-white in appearance even with a linen wafer. I have seen bone
> keytop material as white as ivory but it was from a German company and
> they wont sell to me. Grain varies widely in ivory depending on the
> "cut" it can be straight, wavy or the flame-point or fingerprint
> pattern we all know and love. Bone has grain but it is usually
> straight or non-existent. Both are hard, tricky to machine and hold an
> edge and buff well. Ivory has very tight pores and bone is more
> porous, and if not surfaced properly will be very evident. Ivory and
> bone will both become dirty if the pores are not saturated with
> compound from buffing. This brings up a good point, buffing serves a
> few purposes. Buffing saturates the pores with wax or compound and
> seals them,  this keeps dirt and moisture out, buffing also improves
> the appearance of ivory, bone, and plastic by smoothing and making the
> surface flat and in turn it will reflect more light and be visually
> more appealing. Buffing ivory and bone at required intervals will
> prolong there life by preventing the elements from disintegrating
> them. Both ivory and bone are vulnerable to environmental changes
> (temperature and humidity). For example place an ivory head in a moist
> face-cloth overnight and then look at it in the morning, you'll be
> surprised to see the change in dimension and consistency. Both ivory
> and bone will darken in color over time and I think bone appears to
> darken faster and it may only be because the material is darker to
> begin with, not necessarily it's composition. As far as feel, ivory
> and bone both grip your fingers, wick-off moisture, and are less
> slippery than plastic. Ivory and bone are both very durable if
> maintained properly. I have a 1860's square grand in my shop with a
> wonderful set of original ivory. New ivory (legal pre-ban) and bone
> are readily available. Ivory is more expensive and preferred but a lot
> of people accept bone as a nice alternative to ivory.
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Terry
>   To: Pianotech
>   Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 7:45 AM
>   Subject: Re: Moulded Keytops
>
>
>   What can you say about comparing and contrasting bone and ivory (color,
> grain, feel, durability, etc.)? I've heard that bone is more porous and
> gets dirtier more easily. Please educate us!
>
>   Terry Farrell
>
>         I apply keytops for a living and there are several factors to
> consider when choosing a top. The quality of the keytop, quality
> of the piano, quality of the rebuild, preference of the customer,
> knowledge and preference of the technician and budget. Crappy
> "molded" keytops are nice if applied properly, and three thousand
> dollars worth of new ivory is "crappy" if not applied properly.
> Molded keytops have the advantage of being inexpensive, uniform in
> shape and appearance, and relatively easy to apply with minimal
> skill, tooling and yields fair results.  A disadvantage is that
> many people feel that they are a cheap top and as a result do not
> use them. Other materials ivory, bone and the variety of plastics
> are usually in a slab or oversize form and require more skill,
> tooling and money. In addition when you go from a molded keytop
> with fronts attached to a keytop without a front attached you
> double your workload. Vagias is a simulated ivory top made of
> plastic and I've found that people either like it or don't there
> is no in between. Ivorine (pyralin) is still around and preferred
> to acrylics because of the plastics available it feels similar to
> ivory. New ivory and bone are available and preferred by most but
> are costly and not always in the budget.