keylevers...

I have started fabricating the keylevers and associated parts, which involves much repetition at rates of 49 or multiples thereof.

Unlike in my three-key prototype, on the real keys, I have decided to use little blocks to hold the striker spring wires.  On the prototype, these wires made a 90-degree bend and were seated into shallow holes in the keylever itself, but this has proven unsatisfactory: a firmer seating is needed, and I don't like drilling deeply into the already precariously thin and light keylevers.

The blocks have a horizontal hole drilled through, end to end.  The spring wire will seat into the back end of this hole, facing the striker.  The hole on the front face may be used for an optional "secondary touch" mechanism which I have designed; I won't be sure whether the mechanism is needed until I play the instrument for a while.

I made this little jig to hold the blocks in position for drilling.

I have gradually developed a technique for obtaining reasonably-accurate hole positions, despite the remarkable tendency of small drill bits to wander, and despite what seems like a large amount of play in my drill press bearings (are they all like that, or only the dirt-cheap ones from China?).  The key is to have a well-placed starter mark, which I make with an awl; and then I position the drill (with the power off) with its tip centered in the starter mark, and *then* turn on the power.  Because I often need one hand to help hold the piece, and the other hand to hold the drill press lever, I installed a wire-tie hanging off the end of the power switch, so that I can pull it with my teeth and thus turn on the power when my hands are occupied.  Potentially dangerous, but effective!  (Given how much easier it now is for something sweeping past to snag the wire tie and turn on the drill, I'm now much more careful about pulling out the little plastic "ignition key" which disables the switch, when I'm not using it.)

I thought I'd have to rig a complicated and tedious clamping system to glue the blocks onto the keylevers.  However, the Titebond II sets up so fast on these dry, porous, absorbent basswood joints,  that I found I could just hold the joint firmly by hand for less than a minute, and the parts would already be firmly stuck together.  Then I'd just let them sit for an hour or so, and good to go.  Indeed, one block I noticed I wanted to move, after only about two minutes of drying, and I just *barely* got the pieces apart in time; it took quite some force to break the bond.  Very much longer, and it would have been the wood that was breaking.

Here are the 49 keylevers in the frame.  I will next attach the plywood keys (but not their ceramic and glass coverings, yet).  Then I will do the painting and finishing I have planned for the levers: black paint on the keys, clearcoat on the rest of the levers.  Then I will finally attach the guide-wires, spring-wires, and felt pads for the strikers (thus these items will not be exposed to the clearcoat).

I have found rectangular glass tiles with a white background, which are the perfect shape and surface quality for the sharp keys.  However, I'm still searching for the right solution for the natural key coverings.  I am convinced that ceramics *may* be a good key covering; but I've been unable to find pre-made tiles which fit the bill, despite many "almosts".  So I am now planning to try making my natural keys out of clay, myself -- for the second time.  I already tried making the naturals from "Della Robbia" oven-bake clay, but this type of clay will clearly not be durable enough for this application.  So now I will try "real" clay, fired in an actual kiln at 2000-something degrees F, with glossy black glaze.