Grand Piano Restoration: Keyboard Repairs

Once the action rack is separated from the key frame, the key set is removed and the key frame checked against the key bed for warping or other types of damage.  I usually bed the frame empty once or twice just to see how the key end blocks are set up and, once tightened down, observe if they interfere with the bedding of the frame in certain areas.

When the key frame is seated well into the bed, the key frame is then removed and rebuilt with the usual replacement punchings on front and back rails, along with bolster cloth or key end cloth. When replacing cloths, by using the same grade of materials or close to the original, and by taking into account overall wear, this keeps the adjustments to a minimum when regulating after cloth replacement.

The key set is completed in the usual way; replacement back check felt and buckskin, key bushings replaced top and bottom, and the original ebonies are re-ebonized and coated with a satin or flat finish. The original ivories, if still found on the instrument, are cleaned, whitened, and polished.

Here is a photo album of the various repairs to the key frame and the key set. This the same photo album starting at photo 126.

Keyboard Repairs

Also here is a photo album of key bushing repairs.

Key Bushing Repairs

Grand Piano Restoration: Damper Felt Replacements

With any restringing job completed  the price includes replacement damper felt. Along with all of the dirt and oils collected by the felt over years of service, the original felt work will be worn in a particular pattern that would not fit well over the new strings. I find it best to install new felt so the new wire can form its own pattern in fresh materials. 

Replacement damper felt can be found in bulk or in pre-cuts; either way is a satisfactory replacement. Some times when replacing felt work one can discover a cut or length of felt that is not offered by the supply house standard pre-cuts.

 There are several felt guillotines sold by the piano supply houses, and all of them do the job of custom cut felt in much the same way. I use the guillotine quite a bit as I make my own backing felts at times out of non- traditional reds and other colours.

Once the replacement felts are ready for install they are glued into place with hot hide glue. After 24 hours the dampers are ready to be reinstalled into the piano. Because the damper wires were marked with a scribe previous to removal the installation goes quite rapidly.

Here are some photos of the damper replacement process and one of the felt cutters.

Same photo album starting at photo 118

Replacement Damper Felt

Musical Legacies

                                                                     

Music at the University of Western Ontario has followed a unique and interesting past; evolving into a Faculty in 1968; today it is one of the top centres of musical excellence in Canada.

Early beginnings were in 1903 with the formation of the Conservatory of London. The institute of Musical Art was opened in 1919 to teach “the art and science of music, voice, culture, and expression.” The institute operated under the auspices of the University of Toronto and Toronto Conservatory.

Music classes were offered by Western in 1934 which is the same year that the Institute was incorporated as the Western Conservatory of Music. The Sunday Nine O’clock Series was launched the following year, generating interest in music education at the university.

The principal of the four-year-old Western Ontario Conservatory of Music was appointed Director of Music for the University in year 1938. When the McIntosh Gallery opened in 1942, the conservatory offices were moved into the building. During the 1943-44 academic years, 12 students were allowed to take a music course for academic credit.

In 1948, with financial assistance from the A.E. Silverwood Foundation, the Music Teachers' College was established to provide a level of professional training at the University of Western Ontario.

Three levels of instruction were established; secondary level instruction at Western Conservatory, Music Teacher’s College at the collegiate level, and the Department of Music in University College.

Music continued at the McIntosh Gallery, but space became increasingly cramped. Nine years later, in 1957 the Silverwood Foundation presented the residence and grounds  to the University of Western Ontario, as a permanent home for the Music College in memory of A. E. Silverwood, who was governor of the University from 1930-1954.

In 1957  the Music Teacher’s College relocated to “Goodholme” as the residence was known.

In 1961 the name of the college was changed to College of Music when it became part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Even today the building is still known as the “Silverwood Block.”

Seven years later on July 1^st 1968, as a result of the re-organization of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the College of Music became a separate facility. In 1971, the construction of the Music Building on campus was completed.Following a generous donation from Dr. Donald Wright in October of 2002 the Faculty of Music was renamed the Don Wright Faculty of Music.

With more than 500 undergraduate students, 110 graduate students and more than 100 teachers, the Faculty is small enough to foster the development of close-working relationships with professors and colleagues, yet large enough to support a full symphony orchestra, fully staged opera and musical theatre productions, prize-winning choirs and a top-notch wind band program.  Today UWO produces more than 300 concerts each year, most of which are free and open to the public.

The Don Wright Faculty of Music also houses the world renowned Piano Technical program which migrated from George Brown College in Toronto during the mid to late 1980’s.

Goodholme is situated within King's University College, a sprawling, park-like campus at the University of Western Ontario. Together with several other historic buildings, including St. Peters Seminary, it contributes to the serene atmosphere of the property. 

Goodholme is a fine example of the Tudor Revival style of architecture executed on a large residential scale. Characteristic of this style, the house features steeply-pitched rooflines and tall windows. It is composed of stone, half-timbering and stucco. Other elements that typify the Tudor Revival style include the multi-paned windows, the decorative carvings on the projecting window bays and the dormer windows on the façade and all elevations. Also of note is the recessed entry on the façade, which features a projecting stone arcade and covered driveway.

Here is a photo album of how Goodholme looks today. 

 Silverwood Block

Grand Piano Restoration: Stringing the Plate

It has been several weeks since the plate gilding was sprayed, and the finish will be hard enough to cover over and begin the process of stringing the plate.

There are three most common ways to string that I know of; a coil maker like the Sciortino coil maker, there is the hand held dummy pin, and there is the method of having the tuning pins just inside the existing hole.

Which one of these choices is most comfortable for the worker produces the same results. With the latter two methods one has to be able to make the coils even and make sure the beckets are all in line or close to being in line. When using a coil maker, each coil is made for you by the tool itself.

For the Heintzman product, I choose to make the coils around a tuning pin set into the top of the existing hole. Because the Heintzman piano comes with the Patented Agraffe Bridge, this is likely the most difficult piano to string.

The Patented Agraffe Bridge is a flange casted into the piano plate. This flange takes the place of individual agraffes which can be found in the center sections of all grand pianos. In the agraffe flange there are a series of holes drilled at 7 degrees angle where each piece of treble wire must pass through. 

Because of the bridgework on the sounding board, and the low position of the plate, there is no way to view the backside of the existing hole to install each piece of wire. At times, a small hand mirror can be used, but often times in the grand version of this instrument, the jacks and blocks inside the key bed cavity are in the way.

Here is a photo album of the way I set up to string the Heintzman & Co grand piano. 

Same photo album starting at photo #105.

Stringing the Plate

Grand Piano Restoration: Cabinet Finishes

In years past I used to do a variety of finishes that were popular; varnish, shellac, linseed oil French polish, or Danish oil finishes, bees wax and other finishing waxes, nitro-cellulose lacquer and catalyzed lacquer.

Some of these finishes, while popular during certain periods of history, are not very durable; the oil and wax finishes in particular leave the grain open a considerable amount, and this allows contaminants into the wood damaging the veneers and the look of the cabinet. Shellac under certain conditions can be delicate also, especially if applied incorrectly.

French polishing takes considerable time, which makes this one a considerably more expensive proposition; done only on request by the piano owner.

One type of finishing not tried here is the polyester finishes for pianos. Most of the pianos I work on here are vintage or period pieces, and are not served well with a modern finish such as this one. For the most part, this type of finish became popular in the late 70’s and early 80’s. While it is quite durable polyester finishes are usually high gloss. Along with the high gloss is the fact that black has become quite a popular colour for pianos. The result is after a few years the high gloss finish develops many small scratches, wear lines, and fingerprints which are magnified by the black colour. This gives the finish and old and tired look.

For cost effectiveness to both the owner and the restorer, lacquer is the best for finishing. Over the years I have tried several types of lacquer, and have come to the conclusion that nitrocellulose is best. 

Nitrocellulose was first introduced to the market in production furniture around 1900, and by the 1930’s most of the pianos and furniture manufactured was being finished with this product.

With the inclusion of vinyl polymers and catalysts found in lacquers today, one of the characteristics of catalyzed lacquer products when dry, is that they become quite brittle and chip easily, requiring touch-up. As pianos have lots of edges, using this type of furniture grade lacquer is not good. These types of lacquers cannot be touched up or sprayed over top with good results once the catalyst has set for more than 30 days. 

With nitrocellulose, one can touch up or spray a new coat or re-start the lacquering process at any time in the life of the finish. The nitrocellulose with 35% sheen I find to be the best one for vintage projects; 35% sheen gives you a little shine and assists in hiding permanent un- repairable damage to the casework.  I have used lacquer with less sheen, down to 10% at times for certain jobs, with good results. 

A sheen of 35% or less shows the beauty of the wood instead of the shine of the finish.

When using high gloss finishes, every little bump and divot in the cabinet will show. With vintage instruments this is not the desired result.

Grand Piano Restoration: Colouring, and Tinting

When refinishing a piano, the request is usually made because the clear coat on top has deteriorated to the point where it requires a new surface.  The outside is scratched in many places, or perhaps the outside coats have the appearance of snakeskin, or alligator skin, with the small multiple cracks, or crazing, as it is commonly referred to.

Along with this expected deterioration is the wear on what is called the “colour barrier.” This is the colour that the wood was stained with and forms a type of barrier to hide or change the original colour of the wood.

Any cabinet piece that is considered a “high traffic” area of the piano, which is usually the area where the players sit and operate the instrument, the colour eventually gets worn away, allowing the wood to show itself without colour stain, or finish.

Places such as the fallboard edges, music desk edges, keyboard end blocks, cheek block edges, around the keyboard and pedal set are the most common places to find this type of wear.

So then, along with the request for an improvement to the finish which is clear coat, one must determine what the original colours were, if the finishing request is a return to original colour.

There are specific places on the piano that one can discover the original colours; inside on the cheek past the keyboard end blocks, in the cabinet of an upright, often times the back of the fallboard does not receive any sunlight and a good place to find original colouring; underneath the grand piano on the rail just above the legs attachment; this rail runs underneath the piano and is often a place where you can discover original colour.

Colour stains are straight forward; choose the colour you want, either in oil stain, alcohol stain, or water stains; these are all available today and serve different purposes when refinishing. I choose to use oil based stains that can be wiped or sprayed on. The reason I choose these types of stain is because most of the pianos I refinish here are fairly old; the oil provides the old veneer with a bit of welcome moisture and also raises the grain lines.

This is beneficial to the finished product.  With some oil based colours, it is best to let the oil evaporate off for a couple of days as the lacquer finishes are alcohol based and these two products reject each other.

Water based stains, which were popular at the turn of the last century, are now making a comeback into the marketplace due to environmental concerns.  Water based stains are used much the same as oil based stains.

I find that alcohol stains are NGR stain; non grain raising stains tend to give the appearance of being painted, as alcohol stains are very strong in their pigments and do not allow the natural inconsistencies of the wood to show through.

NGR stains are primarily used for tinting problem areas of wood and can be mixed into the sprayed finish to colour match problem areas that have colour damage as a result of sunlight UV rays or other types of colour damage to the patina of the wood.

With tinting, one must have knowledge of the colour wheel, primary and secondary colours, a full understanding of tint, tone, and shade, along with how colours compliment or split compliment. In other words one must be able to “see colour.”

Without the ability to see colour, one must then attend a finishing supply shop and have the colour matched or purchase an already mixed colour. For tinting, these shops can tint the finish to what you need or give you a recipe to mix with your own colours you have purchased previously.

Here is a photo album of a piano that came in for refinishing. This instrument was completed sometime back, and while it is not the Heintzman presently under construction in the shop, this piano is a good example of the colouring and tinting processes.  

Aside from the damage done to the instrument, I discovered that this one had been refinished improperly and also had long term light exposure, so this is a good photo album to view about refinishing pianos. It demonstrates some of the problems you have to solve to get the instrument looking good once again.

Underneath each photo I have written some text about how some of the problems are overcome.

Broadwood Grand