PIANO repairs
Cleaning Ivory Piano Keys
Piano key tops were traditionally made from ivory gathered from the tusks of elephants. Modern day pianos are made with plastic key tops, but we still care for many older pianos with ivory key tops.
Ivory is a porous material and can absorb sweat and grime from vigorous playing. This can cause the keys to discolour as they age.
Cleaning ivory piano keys takes a very special set of skills.
PIANO repairs
Cleaning Ivory Piano Keys – sanding, bleaching and drying
The process involves removing the whole action frame from the piano in the workshop. Taking a fine sandpaper we ever so lightly sand back any dents that have been left by the action of the fingers hitting the keys.
We then move the keys to an area of low humidity, preferably in the sun on a bright and hot day.
We then apply 100% Peroxide to bleach the keys back to their original colour. This process can take upwards of 4 hours.
PIANO repairs
Cleaning Ivory Piano Keys – polishing with buffing soap
Once the bleaching process process has taken place, we then buff the ivory of the key in a strict motion to ensure the ivory is not removed or damaged in any way.
This is done by using a special buffing soap to bring an elegant finish back to the ivory.
