At 5:49 pm +0000 31/7/07, pianotuna55 at comcast.net wrote: >...If the front doesn't come off easily, hold it against the iron >for a second or two and remove with chisel. You'll learn how long >to heat. > >If you can do a good job with a table saw, fine, but there >areÊchances for error. I also use heat, usually from an old iron (only because I've never bothered to make a proper fixed heated block) but I would never use a chisel. I use an old style table knife, rather blunt, which passes easily along the glue line and lifts the fronts, tops or tails easily without bending and breaking them. As you say, one needs to get the time right on the first few. It's also a good idea to have a cotton cloth between the iron and the ivory or celluloid to avoid scorching, especially if the ivory is good enough to re-use. I have no plans to switch to using a table saw or a sledge-hammer to crack this little nut. If the keyboard is to be scrapped but you want the ivory, the quickest way to get it, provided traditional glue has been used, is to dump the keys on a large bucket of cold water for a day, as I did last week with a couple of sets. JD
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC