Ivory Piano keys

[James Stokes]

How do you tell if piano keys are Ivory? When did they stop using Ivory for piano keys?
I see on craigs list all the time people trying to give away old pianos. If the keys are Ivory it would be worth while to take the piano just for the keys and scrap everything else out.

[Frank Corker]

Couple of different ways, if you can play Moon River on the keyboard, the chances are that they are old and made of ivory. The other thing is that ivory has a very slight grain in it, more noticeable the older the piano. A hot pin on synthetic ivory keys will melt a small hole, ivory will leave a tiny brown surface mark.

[Rodne Gold]

Some of the ivory might be walrus tusk etc and not elephant ... What would you do with the keys anyway? Im not so sure you would be able to trade it that easily.
As an aside , countries like mine , South Africa have to CULL elephants these days as there re too many of em.

[Dee Gallo]

Ivory has distinctive straight lines on the flat surface and a crosshatch pattern if you look at the end grain. No always as pronounced as these pix, but still visible even on piano keys. You can still buy new ivory piano keys... I don't know where they come from, maybe they are old stock, but they are very expensive from restoration places. Used ones have patina on them, giving them both an amber overtone and slightly translucent look as compared to new, clean white ones. If you sand the surface, you will get back to clean white, so the patina is pretty thin.

cheers, dee

[James Stokes]

Well I guess I was meant to get a piano with Ivory keys. I was sitting here this afternoon and recieved a wrong # call. It was a lady wanting to know if I had called about her piano, I told her no and did not know what she was talking about. She said she had an old piano with ivory keys and the Carcus was made out of mahogony and she was giving it away. I told her I would be interested. So Saterday I go get it. I believe things happen for a reason.

[Tim Bateson]

Ok, if that is how it works then.... lets talk about solid gold bars. :cool:

Way to go James!

[Dee Gallo]

Good karma, James!

[Dan Hintz]

Why be shy, let's talk about gorgeous women, fast cars, and filled bank vaults! :D

[Tim Bateson]

This really works!!! I haven't had an order "paying order" since March. Last night I got 3. One may be a reccuring order for a local gun shop.

Not gold, but when the well has been dry this long, I'll take it! :D

Am I off the topic of Ivory piano keys?:o

[James Stokes]

I consider myself a lucky person. There have been lots of times in my life where things like that have happened. If I start getting tight on money just in the nick of time a big job will come up to put me back on top. When I was working I would get an unexpected bill every time it happened I would get a big job that would take care of it. After I got injured at my normal job, I was sitting on the couch and a lady from the state voc rehab called wanting to know about the laser business. I talked to her for about an hour telling her about it. After telling her what she needed to know I told her my situation and asked her about voc rehab. She had me come in the next week and they ended up sending me back to school for 2 years. Unexpected and lucky things have happened to me all of my life.

[George Brown]

I consider myself a lucky person.

Man!!! The only luck I ever get is bad! :(:(:(

[Gary and Jessica Houghton]

I consider myself a lucky person. There have been lots of times in my life where things like that have happened. If I start getting tight on money just in the nick of time a big job will come up to put me back on top. When I was working I would get an unexpected bill every time it happened I would get a big job that would take care of it. After I got injured at my normal job, I was sitting on the couch and a lady from the state voc rehab called wanting to know about the laser business. I talked to her for about an hour telling her about it. After telling her what she needed to know I told her my situation and asked her about voc rehab. She had me come in the next week and they ended up sending me back to school for 2 years. Unexpected and lucky things have happened to me all of my life.

Some might call it divine intervention....

What are you going to do with the piano keys and the mahogany?

[James Stokes]

I want the piano keys to engrave on like scrimshaw and the carcus I am thinking about making a tv armoire out of it. But need to do some thinking on that though.

[Gary Hair]

Unexpected and lucky things have happened to me all of my life.

I'm not inclined to consider it all luck. I too have an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time... My wife says I have someone, or several "someones", looking out for me. Not that my life has been easy street, but I think things fall into place for me more often than not.

Gary

[Aaron Koehl]

A good and wise friend always says, "You live right, and good things will come your way.."

Keith has a lot of these sayings. ;)