old sharps

[John Formsma]

Hi Elwood,

I don't salvage them, but it's not a bad idea. Never know when you
might need a few.

To remove them, you can "whack" them on top of a work bench. Turn the
key so that the mortise is horizontal, strike mainly the ebony portion
(rather than the keystick), and it will come off cleanly. At least it
has for me. I just did this on an old reed organ I'm working on, and
removed 10 or so sharps this way.

All I can say is that the few times I've had to remove an ebony, this
has worked. Use at your own risk. :-)  And if you break the keystick,
you've hit too hard (or it was weak to begin with).

Mike Morvan, what's the official, craftsman way of removing them?

JF

On 7/16/07, Elwood Doss, Jr. <edoss at charter.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Do any of you salvage old wood sharps from old upright pianos?  Would it be
> a good idea to keep some of the older sharps around?  How would one get the
> old sharps off the old keys?  Just wondering...
>
> Joy!
>
> Elwood
>
>
>
> Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT
>
> Piano Technician/Technical Director
>
> Department of Music
>
> 145 Fine Arts Building
>
> The University of Tennessee at Martin
>
> Martin, TN  38238
>
> 731/881-1852
>
> FAX: 731/881-7415
>
> HOME: 731/587-5700
>
>