Loose, wobbly key

[LongSufferingHuman]

I'm trying to address a wobbly key and I'm uncertain of the wisest way to go about this.

The key rotates laterally, toward the adjacent keys. This movement of the key itself is imperceptible when playing; but the pallet on the end of the key arm moves enough that it does not completely seal the reed port.

Having removed they key, I notice that the pivot holes that the spindle passes through are slightly larger than in other keys. The spindle is snug in the other key brackets; but loose in this one. What is the best way to fix this?

Some ideas that occurred to me (each with potential drawbacks):

• Get a brass plate from the hobby store, cut two small pieces, adhere them to the key bracket so they cover the existing holes, drill new holes. I imagine it might be difficult to make sure the new holes are properly aligned.
• Get a brass plate from the hobby store, cut two small pieces, drill a hole in each, adhere them to the key bracket so they align with the existing holes. I imagine it still might be difficult to make sure the new holes are properly aligned.
• Fill the area of the key bracket with a compound such as Bondo, then drill through the existing holes and the newly hardened compound. Aside from aligning the drill properly, I wonder if the key would feel different.
• I could try to find a replacement key, but I imagine it might be expensive and the pivot holes might not perfectly match anyway.

Thanks for looking at this!

 

[Sebastian Bravo]

What i've done, is quite an easy way to fix it, just put two nails on each side of the pallets, so, with any kind of lateral movement, the pallet won't move to the sides, and it will close the holes perfectly.

But the second idea you mentioned, is a better way to keep it straight.

 

[debra]

What i've done, is quite an easy way to fix it, just put two nails on each side of the pallets, so, with any kind of lateral movement, the pallet won't move to the sides, and it will close the holes perfectly.

But the second idea you mentioned, is a better way to keep it straight.

I have done this as well. Using some form of guidance for the pallet to move into the correct position. It needs to be something smooth, so in case of using a nail it needs to be smooth so as to not have the pallet "rub" against it and not close as fast as before.
Replacing the brass part sounds like the best idea, but getting it to be a perfect fit may prove quite difficult. In an old instrument some unorthodox method can work better than the "proper" solution.

 

[LongSufferingHuman]

Thank you both for these ideas. I celebrate your creative thinking. I'll have to take a closer look to see if a guide of some sort might work in this situation.