Pianotech

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

Since you're replacing almost everything else on this piano, why don't you put on new ebonies, too. You can buy them from Schaff. They will probably be a little longer so you'll have to trim them. To remove the old ones, put the key in a vise or hold on to it with big pliers, and grab the ebony with another pair of pliers, and just twist, and they will snap off. You might have to sand the key stick. Use ordinary wood glue to attach the new ebonies to the key sticks.

------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2020 21:35
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: removing sharp key tops

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

hi Wim,

the old ebonies are still in good condition, except for the lacquer which came partly off.  I'm not sure what kind of hardwood they are but they look good; that's why i was trying to see if they can be refinished to look really good with a super smooth finish.  I did buy new ebonies.
i remembered the vise from when i went to school; thank you for freshening up my dust-covered memory...

Jon, when i went to school, i was taught to fill up the compartments with glue (for added weight).  Is there a particular reason for not filling the compartments up with glue?

I'll definitely try to wack the keys on my workbench and see what happens.  That'll be a fun afternoon project.

Thank you all,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-27-2020 00:29
From: Willem Blees
Subject: removing sharp key tops

Since you're replacing almost everything else on this piano, why don't you put on new ebonies, too. You can buy them from Schaff. They will probably be a little longer so you'll have to trim them. To remove the old ones, put the key in a vise or hold on to it with big pliers, and grab the ebony with another pair of pliers, and just twist, and they will snap off. You might have to sand the key stick. Use ordinary wood glue to attach the new ebonies to the key sticks.

------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789

Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2020 21:35
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: removing sharp key tops

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

Better: put the sharp itself in the vice (key upside down), aligned so the glue line is even with the vice top. Hit the key to break the glue joint. Often the heel of the hand can do it. Otherwise, a wooden mallet. That way you have much better leverage, and it takes less effort.

Occasionally some splinters from the key will adhere to the sharp, so chisel them off and glue back on the key.

With real ebony, I would save them. I never put a finish on ebony, just make them smooth with fine abrasives down to 0000 steel wool or equivalent. Black dye or ink can deal with those that have light grain. Natural wood, polished like that, feels and looks wonderful.

------------------------------
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu
http://fredsturm.net
http://www.artoftuning.com
"We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-27-2020 00:29
From: Willem Blees
Subject: removing sharp key tops

Since you're replacing almost everything else on this piano, why don't you put on new ebonies, too. You can buy them from Schaff. They will probably be a little longer so you'll have to trim them. To remove the old ones, put the key in a vise or hold on to it with big pliers, and grab the ebony with another pair of pliers, and just twist, and they will snap off. You might have to sand the key stick. Use ordinary wood glue to attach the new ebonies to the key sticks.

------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789

Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2020 21:35
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: removing sharp key tops

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

thank you Fred,
i'll try removing the sharp key tops on my next project: a Chas M Stieff.
some splinters came off indeed and i did chisel them off and glue them back in the key stick.  Minimal sanding was required on some key sticks and the new key tops could be applied with no problem.
Thanks,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-08-2020 21:43
From: Fred Sturm
Subject: removing sharp key tops

Better: put the sharp itself in the vice (key upside down), aligned so the glue line is even with the vice top. Hit the key to break the glue joint. Often the heel of the hand can do it. Otherwise, a wooden mallet. That way you have much better leverage, and it takes less effort.

Occasionally some splinters from the key will adhere to the sharp, so chisel them off and glue back on the key.

With real ebony, I would save them. I never put a finish on ebony, just make them smooth with fine abrasives down to 0000 steel wool or equivalent. Black dye or ink can deal with those that have light grain. Natural wood, polished like that, feels and looks wonderful.

------------------------------
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu
http://fredsturm.net
http://www.artoftuning.com
"We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda

Original Message:
Sent: 08-27-2020 00:29
From: Willem Blees
Subject: removing sharp key tops

Since you're replacing almost everything else on this piano, why don't you put on new ebonies, too. You can buy them from Schaff. They will probably be a little longer so you'll have to trim them. To remove the old ones, put the key in a vise or hold on to it with big pliers, and grab the ebony with another pair of pliers, and just twist, and they will snap off. You might have to sand the key stick. Use ordinary wood glue to attach the new ebonies to the key sticks.

------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789

Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2020 21:35
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: removing sharp key tops

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------

I don't like lacquer on sharps. I would try to save them, no point in replacing them. Set them all upside down with the ebony part of the sharps in a shallow pan of acetone to dissolve the lacquer. Let them sit in there for about an hour and then run off the lacquer with steel wool. If they're not colored the way you like, dye them with an aniline dye available from PianoTek. I usually don't, I like a few brown steaks here and there. Then finish them with 2-3 applications of dark paste wax. Smear on a layer, let it sit for 20 minutes, then buff on a soft wheel and repeat.

------------------------------
Philip Stewart, RPT
NJ Piano Service
609-774-7571
www.njpianoservice.com
njpianoservice@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2020 21:35
From: Petrus Janssen
Subject: removing sharp key tops

i'm working on a Baldwin M, have replaced the worn ivories with kluge key tops and now i'm trying to decide whether to keep the sharp key tops or replace them.
I sanded the sharps down and stained them, put a coat of lacquer on them, but they are not super smooth.
how do i remove the sharps if i wanted to replace them?  I tried wall paper remover on one, let it soak in, but there is not a bit of movement and i don't want to tear up the keys.
Any suggestions?
thank you,
Peter

------------------------------
Petrus Janssen
Peachtree City GA
678-416-8055
------------------------------