[pianotech] Cleaning the filth off keysides.....

[David Ilvedson]

Hey, how about those germ killing wands they're selling at Costco... '-]   One sweep over the keys and your home free...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Euphonious Thumpe" <lclgcnp at yahoo.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 2/3/2009 8:56:27 AM
Subject: [pianotech] Cleaning the filth off keysides.....


>Scrape the worst off with a razor blade ( wearing ventless goggles, gloves and a 
>carbon-filter mask with pre-filters ) then wipe the rest off with a  scrub pad in 
>alcohol, or a little soap and water and dry right away with paper towels.  ( But watch 
>out for some kinds of alcohol on some kinds of keytops --- will dissolve! )
>     But if you're doing a major rebuilding job, you can quickly dunk the keys in a  
>toolbox filled with Super-Clean (TM ), scrub with Scotch-Brite (TM ) rinse, and dryon 
>a rack ( out of the sun! ) and they'll get VERY clean, with no substantial problems! ( 
>Get the bushings out while they're wet, too, and put in your Spurlock bushing-sizing 
>cauls, but tack town the keybuttons with brads, first, to keep them from coming 
>loose. ) 

>Euphonious Thumpe

>>   >
>>   Even if
>> they
>>   > aren't the one playing, they
>>   > can see that it should be easier for little Johnny
>> or Mary
>>   > to perform on clean
>>   > keys. Most of the time, on my next visit, the keys
>> are
>>   > clean.
>>   >
>>   > My question is this:   do most high skilled pianists
>> prefer
>>   > a smooth shiny
>>   > keyboard, or one that has an ivory, sanded type
>> surface?
>>   > Not sure if I've
>>   > asked the question properly.  When I've
>> steelwooled key
>>   > tops to get them
>>   > smooth , plastic or ivory, there is this feel
>> I'm
>>   > trying to describe. If it's plastic
>>   > for sure, I will buff to high gloss.  

>I don't like the "plasticky" feel. I've buffed some keys with super-fine-steel wool and 
>preferred it, but maybe the customer wouldn't. ( Take some sample keytops, treated 
>different ways. ) 

>Should they be
>> left
>>   > somewhere a little
>>   > before the gloss appears ??     Pretty hard to do, I
>> think.

>Buff with super-fine steel wool and then wax?  Maybe that would create the "feel" 
>you want. 
>>   >
>>   > Carl / Winnipeg
>>   >
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>