Piano Restoration

Steinway & Sons Piano Restoration

One of the most common and most important action in piano rebuilding today is the misuse of heavy hammers in vintage Steinway pianos. The hammers were used predominantly Japanese in 1980, are substantially heavier than the current special order Renner Premium Blue hammers that we use for most vintage Steinway and Sons pianos.

It is not unusual for us to see newly restored Steinway piano shares with down-weight measurements 90 grams, and measures to up-weight of only 10 grams. In addition, many technicians will try to compensate these poor performance numbers with the addition of 6, 7, 8 or sometimes even leads to a desperate attempt to improve the touch of the piano. This is futile exercise that only makes the situation worse.

And current specifications call for Sons Steinway piano hammers hanging on the stem at 51 / 8. "Vintage Steinway actions have hammers that hang anywhere from 5" to 51/16 "on the foot. Here, a 1 / 8" difference would be drastic if not corrected properly! In fact, the last couple of octaves above the floor are the most crucial for positioning the hammer. Our hammers are hung according to the best possible sound product, in relation to optimal positioning of the first action plan and stern. "Pre-hung" on shank hammers available from the factory do not work properly in most of the old Steinway and Sons pianos.

For years, the first vintage Steinways, the action parts were dipped in paraffin oil to act as a preservative for wood. This explains the dark color of the vintage Steinway shares. A drawback of the immersion solution is the chemical reaction with the centerpins and all moving parts, resulting in what is known as verdigris. This Verdigris centerpins tires on and heard (the green patina shown in close-up), and results in some parts of slow. This is one of the biggest problems with Steinway pianos. There are no permanent solutions for this condition other than replacing the defective parts with new parts.

All our pianos include Steinway and Sons rebuilt replacement agraffes. Agraffes are brass, and if they were too tight at the factory, which will eventually break. This has sometimes 70 years, but it will happen! However, no new agraffes clean only look nice, but contribute to a better tone in the piano. The steel wire passing through the agraffes is harder than bronze, so that eventually deform the circular holes making them oval.

Together with the replacement of agraffes, bar Cape deposit is necessary to remove the old string grooves, and to make sure that the profile of the bar is in its best shape. This is one of the most overlooked steps in the "wholesale reconstruction plan" to end this industry.

In order to get a feel for the constant action, rebushing keys is a crucial step in the process of restoring a piano. Only the highest quality materials and installation processes felt are used for a perfect result.

Polishing is a piano key covers maintenance necessary to restore luster to both plastic and ivory keys. selection Rouge, polishing wheel selection, and wheel speed are important factors in achieving perfect results.

dip correct key is essential for the pianist to be able to play the softest pianissimo to fortissimo stronger. Key dip can also be set to the preference of a customer to reach the action "feel" they prefer.

Refurbish a grand piano

How to Refurbish a grand piano

If you have an old piano that is starting to show the wear of time, a little 'patience and some remedial measures may be all he needs to look its best once again. Although many people look at their old pianos pollution deceased, others see the challenge as an opportunity to clean the dirty veneer and revive the spirit of the golden days of a piano. Piano restoration is a process that takes time, but the rewards outweigh the work to finish.

Instructions:


• 1
Lift the lid of the piano and the harp suck, they do not hammer or felt loose. Aspiration is the best way to clean large amounts of dust between the strings without removing them. Do not damage the cords from getting too close to them, but do not leave dirty harp, either. Sound quality depends in part on the piano strings well maintained. Slide a thin cloth between the strings to collect any dust. Take note of any missing hammers, strings damaged or twisted around irregular pinblock. These will be things to note when your piano technician to adjust the piano.

• 2
Steel wool can remove large amounts of dirt from ivory keys, and exposure to sunlight, naturally whiten them.
Wipe the keys with a damp sponge to clean them. Do not let the water get between the keys. If the ivories are very dirty, wipe with a wad of steel wool. Replace the missing keys, opening the board in front of the piano and the replacement of the corresponding key on his terminal. If the piano keys are ivory, try to find keys used in repair shops piano since the collection has been banned in ivory natural ivory synthetic and most likely will not match your current set of keys.

• 3
The board in front of the piano is subject to deformation when exposed to too much moisture.
Check the piano for moisture damage. moisture damage is manifested as mildew and warped boards earlier. (The edge is off the vertical axis of wood above the keys.) If an accident of your piano, store in a dry place before trying to repair the damage. For the mold, clean the inside of the piano down with disinfectant wipes, being careful not to get wet piano. Keep the piano dry should prevent a resurgence after the first growth of mold is gone. If the card front is deformed, remove it and add a sticker on the back pad and then replace it and secure it in place.

• 4
All the pieces of metal must be removed and cleaned separately from the body of wood.
Carefully remove the wooden case of the piano and set all the hinges and watermarks to the side. Strip off all old paint to determine if all the pieces of the piano are the same quality. This may take several applications of stripper. Be sure to follow the instructions as possible and not try to go too fast. If some are water stains, consider repainting rather than trying for a natural finish shown here.

• 5
If the piano has been painted black, another option is to use instead of a black lacquered natural finish.