It doesn't smell to bad when you lightly scrape it, IIRC. Might do, if 
you go at it hard, generating more heat.

Don

On 2021-01-11 6:44 a.m., James DuPrie wrote:
> can't imagine what that smelled like (sanding ivory). If its anything like
> bone, I'd want to be far away.
>
> On the other hand, I've been dreaming of a new piano with old ivory on the
> keys for a looong time.... Good to know I'm not hte only one..
> -James
>
> On Sun, Jan 10, 2021 at 1:11 PM Nick Jonkman  wrote:
>
>> Hi guys
>>
>> I haven't been very active lately so thought I needed to chime in. Quite
>> a few years ago I designed and built a special sander for a lady in
>> California. She was replacing the plastic on piano keys with salvaged
>> ivory from old pianos. She actually used new keys and glued the old
>> ivory to these. Since the ivory pieces were not all the same thickness
>> she needed a machine that would surface sand them flat. I built a drum
>> sander for her with 3 or 4 different grits of paper on it with dedicated
>> slot/track for each grit where she could slide the key into to cross the
>> drum. She sent me some new keys and one with salvage ivory on it so I
>> could build the machine to fit. I presume she was happy as I never heard
>> from her again. So yes old ivory can be reused.
>>
>> Nick
>>
>>
>> On 21-01-09 5:40 PM, Kirk Eppler via OldTools wrote:
>>> I'd suggest a search through the archives for any post by Todd Hughes and
>>> piano in the same message.  I think he has some caveats about quality of
>>> material as far as age, real ebony and ivory, etc.
>>>
>>> Not sure about resale value but reuse maybe.
>>>
>>> Kirk Eppler from the Droid
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jan 9, 2021, 2:11 AM yorkshireman@y... <
>>> yorkshireman@y...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> James spots a recycling event…
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If ’twere me, I’d rescue them.  You will find the ivory is a veneer, and
>>>> could be reused as inlay,  the ‘ebony’ may be ebonised, or the good
>> stuff,
>>>> either eway, it has second uses.
>>>> and as John said, the main frame sections will make absolutely superb
>>>> timber.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On 9 Jan 2021, at 00:32, james bennett  wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Galoots  - ebony keys, worth my time in a resale situation?
>>>>>
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