This is a long job I may get some help from a local restorer on the damaged wood, the challenge with these older pianos is you really have to very many parts and the wood can become brittle, the video will be presented to the client to see what they might like to do.
In several cases I’ve seen old uprights have dampening issues in the five to eight notes above the break. Actually old Steinways have flying dampers (additional dampers above the hammers, attached on wires to the lower dampers) on these notes. On my old big upright I simply replaced the dampers on these notes with 50 percent longer ones extending lower and it has worked very well. This Price & Teeple probably depends on their budget. Lowest budget job would probably be hammers, bass strings, stabilize the wood capo and pins with CA glue, and turn the pins under the keys or ideally rebush them. I keep wanting to experiment with cleaning bass strings because it seems like it should be possible but I haven’t seen anyone do much experimenting. Salt with vinegar agitation bath for several days is what I hope to try out at some point. Anyway, some thoughts . . . Hang in there, wow with locations like that you could make dramatic videos like the Salisbury Organist channel (fun channel from your old home country!).
The cleaning of bass strings sounds interesting let me know how that goes if and when you get the chance to try it. Thank you for the information and tips, I feel the piano needs a lot or nothing in this case to avoid patching it up and give it a new lease of life. Thanks again for adding great information Charles, hope all is well in CA. Evan
@ Well you understandably have high standards given your father’s shop. When I see this Price & Teeple I guess I’m being what some techs call a “tooner” - willing to do patch type work to get some functionality to keep it going down the road. CA glue is cyanoacrylate, just to be clear. I’ve seen so many visually clean pianos that don’t have clean unisons, I’ll take clean unisons over a shiny visually clean piano any day. And anything to get keys less wobbly, like even cutting in card stock shims behind old worn out balance rail pin bushings. I actually tell people from time to time, King Charles has some old jackets that have been mended, very visible old patches; not everything needs to be shiny and new. On the finish I’d just run around with furniture marking pens to darken and blend those scratches.
I like the idea of always improving a piano even if not perfect I think it’s better than just tuning and going away with a check. If the client won’t pay for a new piano or full restoration I totally understand why CA glue is used. I’ve heard you have to apply a lot is that true?
@ I’ve used it just a couple times on pins as I’m a semi-pro technician at best, but there is a kind of reasonable amount you end up putting on each pin, a drop or several drops. I’m not sure you can get it to wick down more than that, but in any case it can seem like a lot after 200+ pins, yes. You have the piano tilted back, in the case of an upright, (I’ve just used a big stack of pillows underneath) so that the glue drips downward but the fumes do add up and can get you if you’re above looking closely at what you’re doing; but I read it’s not particularly toxic. I’ve tried to just go fast once I start and then you’ve got the whole thing treated within minutes.
That's a lot of work. Is this the kind of job you would take on? If so, I hope you'll document it!
This is a long job I may get some help from a local restorer on the damaged wood, the challenge with these older pianos is you really have to very many parts and the wood can become brittle, the video will be presented to the client to see what they might like to do.
In several cases I’ve seen old uprights have dampening issues in the five to eight notes above the break. Actually old Steinways have flying dampers (additional dampers above the hammers, attached on wires to the lower dampers) on these notes. On my old big upright I simply replaced the dampers on these notes with 50 percent longer ones extending lower and it has worked very well. This Price & Teeple probably depends on their budget. Lowest budget job would probably be hammers, bass strings, stabilize the wood capo and pins with CA glue, and turn the pins under the keys or ideally rebush them. I keep wanting to experiment with cleaning bass strings because it seems like it should be possible but I haven’t seen anyone do much experimenting. Salt with vinegar agitation bath for several days is what I hope to try out at some point. Anyway, some thoughts . . . Hang in there, wow with locations like that you could make dramatic videos like the Salisbury Organist channel (fun channel from your old home country!).
The cleaning of bass strings sounds interesting let me know how that goes if and when you get the chance to try it. Thank you for the information and tips, I feel the piano needs a lot or nothing in this case to avoid patching it up and give it a new lease of life. Thanks again for adding great information Charles, hope all is well in CA. Evan
@ Well you understandably have high standards given your father’s shop. When I see this Price & Teeple I guess I’m being what some techs call a “tooner” - willing to do patch type work to get some functionality to keep it going down the road. CA glue is cyanoacrylate, just to be clear.
I’ve seen so many visually clean pianos that don’t have clean unisons, I’ll take clean unisons over a shiny visually clean piano any day. And anything to get keys less wobbly, like even cutting in card stock shims behind old worn out balance rail pin bushings. I actually tell people from time to time, King Charles has some old jackets that have been mended, very visible old patches; not everything needs to be shiny and new. On the finish I’d just run around with furniture marking pens to darken and blend those scratches.
I like the idea of always improving a piano even if not perfect I think it’s better than just tuning and going away with a check. If the client won’t pay for a new piano or full restoration I totally understand why CA glue is used. I’ve heard you have to apply a lot is that true?
@ I’ve used it just a couple times on pins as I’m a semi-pro technician at best, but there is a kind of reasonable amount you end up putting on each pin, a drop or several drops. I’m not sure you can get it to wick down more than that, but in any case it can seem like a lot after 200+ pins, yes. You have the piano tilted back, in the case of an upright, (I’ve just used a big stack of pillows underneath) so that the glue drips downward but the fumes do add up and can get you if you’re above looking closely at what you’re doing; but I read it’s not particularly toxic. I’ve tried to just go fast once I start and then you’ve got the whole thing treated within minutes.
Pinblock is shot. You're the worst 😅😅😅