Key bushing replacement is a very common repair. The wooden keys in a piano "ride' on two metal pins. One at the middle of the key (balance rail) and one at the front of the key (front rail). The mortises in the key are lined with small pieces of felt , which allows quiet and smooth movement of the key. With usage, these felts wear, and the keys become wobbly, and no longer move smoothly. For removal, the old felts are first soaked with a mixture of wallpaper remover and warm water. Heat is added to the mortises and felt with an iron to speed up the process, and the old felts are removed with a pair of tweezers. Mortise sizing cauls are pressed in the mortise to shape the damp wood as the wood dries. The keys are left to dry overnight before proceding to install new felts.
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