Now this may offend,but there is a way to get a set of ivory plates for the neck if you want the smoothest fingerboard after sanding ever.Keep an eye out for dumpstered pianos.Folks regularly put them out in this area,and if you get to them before the rain,look at the ends of the keyboard cover.See the giant screws?Take em out,and the whole leyboard is exposed.The ivory faces on the keys can be taken off with a small saw(I use one of the little 6" plumbers tubing saws,with the fine tooth metalworking blade).Scrape the backs and the face of the neck,apply contact cement to both faces,wait 20 min,and clamp in position.After about 4 hours,take your saw and trim the edges,and lightly sand the top.You can also make gages out of the keys(soak overnight in dilute phosporic acid,Cocacola works well,bend,clamp,wash in cold clean water and let dry),carve the ebony keys if they are real,and sell the leftover ivory to craftsfolks for doing scrimshaw or minature paintings on ivory.If you have a set of boltcutters,the wire strings are a thin steel strand wraped in bronze wire on most,and bring a good price at the scrapyard(usually about 40 POUNDS of scrap,but be careful,they pop when you cut them!).
