A quick note about key tops, inspired by a Sheffield piano tuning customer:

If you have a piano with ivory key tops, you have every reason to want to keep them in the best shape you possibly can. Ivory key tops are more responsive, easier to touch, less likely to stick to ones fingers, and have an all round better feel than the plastic keys that come with modern pianos. All pianos before around 1930 have these covers as well as many made between 1930 and 1980 or so.  Due to the ivory ban of the 1980s, however, you cannot buy new ivory key tops and the only way to replace your old ones is to find second hand pianos and replace the required parts. If you live in Sheffield or South Yorkshire I can recommend places to find them if you are looking for them.

If your ivories are in such bad shape that they need to be replaced this can be done by a piano tuner-technician in approximately one hour. You will need to buy a new set of plastic keys tops (a full set can be bought for £35, possibly for less on ebay) as the broken ones are heated slightly with a heatgun and then scraped off with a knife, never to be used again. Then you must glue the new key tops on to the piano keys (any super glue or PVCA glue will suffice) and then leave them alone for a few hours so the glue can set.

Even though I specialise in piano tuning I am able to do this job for you if you ask on a day prior to the tuning. As with anything, if you have questions, feel free to send me an email at richard@pianotunersheffield.co.uk

– Richard, Piano Tuner Sheffield.