m102 keys

[Guest]

hi guys, can anyone please tell me how to stop my m100 keys from making so much noice and breaking. i m not playin it hard enough to break keys, prehaps they are becomin fragile with age.can youget a kit to change them to waterfall ones or brand new ones?thanks

[redoctoberff]

Re: m102 keys

I don't know about kits, but try ebay for sure...people part out old hammonds all the time (especially spinets) and I've seen a number of extra manuals...extra keys...etc. My guess is it would be something of a labor intensive project, both to find new keys and replace them,but probably worth it?

[bluetantra]

Re: m102 keys



These keys are notoriously brittle and won't hold up under aggressive playing, such as palm glissandos and just banging the hell out of them like a previous owner did to one of my organs. Theysimply weren't designed for it, and the melamine plastic <U>will</U> only become more brittle with age. If a key is rattling, it's about to break. The "diving board" style keys on the M-100 series organs are not interchangeable with waterfall keys and used keys from parted-out organs are the only replacements you'll find. I've read that the original key molds were broken up after Hammond ceased production in Chicago and the company sold.</P>


Your best bet is to repair the keys you have. I've successfully used Gorilla Glue, using it not only where the screw boss breaks away underneath the key top, but also running a thin bead of glue on the areas where the melamine key top and metal key channel make contact. It's best to remove the key channel from the organ when doing this to prevent any excess glue from getting between the keys, but I have done it without disassembling the organ. Gorilla Glue swells some as it dries. A box cutter or hobby knife works fine for trimming off the dried excess. Don't get your keys stuck together or letglue run down into the manual!</P>

[toasterDude]

Re: m102 keys



Afew other options here:</P>


1) Alternate repair adhesive: "AquaSeal," available at dive/scuba shops and some general sporting-goods stores. Haven't used it myself, but a very knowledgeable fellow over on a combo organ group says it's the strongest thing available - and he's apparently a professor of organic chemistry, or perhaps industrial engineering/materials or some such, at a university out West.</P>


2) Alternate approach entirely. Other guys have talked up the option of *making* your own replacement keys. Apparently you can get the necessary materials at hobby shops (like for guys who are way into building model tanks, airplanes etc.). You make a mold (or pair of molds) out of "Alumilite" from an intact key (or alternately,out of "BJB's TC-5026, which is a flexible, room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) silicone rubber." -- I'm just quoting directly here, b/c I haven't tried either); then you fill the mold with TC-808 liquid white plastic to form the new key. (Again, the experts on the other site have further recommendations that I'll just cite here: "I would add some white urethane colorant, as well, as uncolored TC-808, though it cures white, will yellow in time.")</P>


3) Alternate source to buy each quantities of replacement keys: WD Greenill. http://www.wdgreenhill.com/AtoZ/keys.htm --Once again, disclaimer: I haven't bought anything from this vendor myself. But there you have it.</P>


So that will give you some choices to mess around with if you get tired of waiting for keys to pop up on Ebay. Good luck!</P>


Scott</P>