Kawai Keypin Sizes

[Terry Farrell]

I have a set of keys from a 1968 (about) Kawai upright piano. I think both front and center rail keypins are 0.046” diameter (or in the case of the front rail pins, lesser of the two widths as they are oval/football shaped).

Can anyone verify the pin sizes for me? (Save me a trip to the piano!)

Thanks!

Terry Farrell

[davidskolnik]

Terry,

This may or may not be of much help, but I'm sitting at a KG-7D #1520178.  I don't know the year but it's apparently from a fairly narrow window during which they were still using wood for the body of the wippen.  Any way, balance pins are .145"-ish and front are  .135"-ish.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

[Fred Schwartz]

Terry,

 

I can never be super sure about way back in the 60s, but the information I have on record says:

Front .132" 3.35mm

Balance .144" 3.7mm

 

Hope this helps.

 

Don Mannino

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

From: Terry Farrell
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2017 5:50 PM
To: pian...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [pianotech] Kawai Keypin Sizes

 

I have a set of keys from a 1968 (about) Kawai upright piano. I think both front and center rail keypins are 0.046” diameter (or in the case of the front rail pins, lesser of the two widths as they are oval/football shaped).

[Terry Farrell]

Thanks Don - I was hoping you might respond. I’ll just need to actually check them then. 0.046 mortise sizing cauls seem to fit perfectly into the front rail mortises, but I better check before I stretch all of them out! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

AND, FWIW, as near as I can tell, Kawai must have still been using hide glue for key bushings back then? The few samples I’ve tried, the key bushing have come out very easily and cleanly after an hour or so of soaking. I was expecting that nasty white glue stuff that I really don’t enjoy dealing with!

Terry Farrell

[Terry Farrell]

Thanks David. I simply need to go to the piano and measure. Oh well, I was hoping for an easy out! Not to be the case though.

Thanks.

Terry Farrell