Casting over Ivory?????

[JohnU]

I had a friend offer me his piano wood before he burned it and managed to get the keys. To my disappointment they were ivory veneer and not solid, but I did remove the ivory and have been throwing around the idea of making a pen with a keyboard on it, like some of the lable casted pens I have seen here, only with me glueing the real ivory down for the keys.

Ive never turned or casted real ivory and wondered if the PR would stick to it. Im thinking of overturning something black, then cutting and glueing the ivory down and casting over it clear to seal it all inside. Any comments appreciated.

 

[PR_Princess]

Yes, real ivory will cast in PR just fine.

The thumbnail of the pen 2/3rds of way down under "Ivory and Antler" is ivory fragments in black PR.

http://www.exoticblanks.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=64

 

[JohnU]

Thanks Dawn, I have a sandwich baggie of ivory and didnt know what else to do with it but cast. Thank you!

 

[workinforwood]

I second, the PR. I would not cast it with alumilite. Because of the hardness of the ivory, when you spin it, the alumlite will want to pull away, but the PR will not because the PR is also quite hard.
If it was my ivory though, I wouldn't cast it. I'd use it for segmentation. Certainly you could inlay your own piano pen with it, or you can do regular segmentations with it. The ivory would look real good laminated to ebony.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I think all piano keys are veneered ivory...they are made of three pieces, and very thin...

Modern pianos use plastic, of course...

 

[JohnU]

I think all piano keys are veneered ivory...they are made of three pieces, and very thin...

Modern pianos use plastic, of course...

Thats all ive been able to find, but i seen online somewhere that someone was selling solid ivory keys. I just dont remember where and im guessing they came from a very expensive piano because they were high priced.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Or they were 'alternative ivory'!

 

[Paul Downes]

some old pianos were made using solid ivory keys. I used to have one. I just wish I'd saved the stuff when it finally gave up the ghost. I will have to go check with a piano restorer guy I know and see what he has.