Hi everyone, I have a antique piano that says H. Sharples & Son, Blackburn on it and I was wondering how can I tell if the keys are real ivory or not ivory. Thanks for your help, aloha.

Chris

I hope that you are asking because you don't want to be associated with the wasteful slaughter of elephants.

+1

I don't think buying an antique piano with ivory keys causes elephants to be slaughtered.

I have a question, About Ivorite(of Yamaha) and the NEOTEX(Kawai) Key tops of today's modern piano. Are the keys still ivory or semi-ivory or synthetic?

Hi everyone, I do not condone the killing of elephants but I do have a antique piano that is no good and I am going to throw it away, if it is ivory I would want to recycle them, since woodworking is my trade I would use them as inlay material, also are the black keys ebony or african black wood??? Aloha.

Chris

Hi ilovekawai, the keys on the new keyboards are all synthetic and not ivory, the Ivorite is a celluloid product, created from nitrocellulose and camphor, with fillers added such as ground chalk and limestone. It is made with a "grain" effect to resemble ivory. Anyone who remembers the old cutlery sets with the knives with the Ivorite handles will no doubt have seen what happens to them after they have been left too long in hot water or put in the dishwasher!
Aloha.

Chris

@ kalai1

Thanks for responding, now I know what and where the synthetic keys are made from.

Old ivory keys are almost always in two pieces, a front and a back. Substitutes are usually thicker than ivory. If you heat it by touching it with a hot needle, it smells like when the dentist drills your teeth.

Wooden black keys on pianos are rarely ebony, except on expensive pianos. Usually they are dyed wood.

Modern keys are not celluloid, rather other plastic materials which are not as flammable.