Latest Project: Piano

[gsmittle]

Years ago, someone gave LOML a "free" 100-year-old piano. We got it playable, but some idiot spray-painted the walnut piano white with gold "trim." Poor thing looked like a cheap tart.

We started the refinishing process two weeks ago, it's taken that long to strip off most of the paint. Next week is sanding and refinishing with Medium Walnut Danish Oil, shellac, and wax.

Here are some photos: Before

During The only part that was't spray-painted.

[dbhost]

I just about ruined my monitor with coffee over the cheap tart thing...

Getting the paint out of the carvings on those is going to be a challenge. Have you found any surprises hiding under the paint yet?

[gsmittle]

I just about ruined my monitor with coffee over the cheap tart thing...

Getting the paint out of the carvings on those is going to be a challenge. Have you found any surprises hiding under the paint yet?

Getting the paint out of the carvings was not as difficult as I expected. There were six or seven layers of paint so we coated an area in CitriStrip, waited an hour, scraped off what we could, lather, rinse, and repeat. I did make a couple of custom scrapers for some of the shapes, though. Others we could scrape out with an assortment of spudgers.

No real surprises yet. There are approximately leventy-three billion screws of different sizes holding on the removable bits (I won't touch the harp- that way lies severe injury or death.) According to the serial number, or at least what I think is the serial number, the piano was built in 1893 or thereabouts.

I'm fascinated by how the action works. Somebody was smarter than me figured that out.

[dbhost]

Funny thing is, those, I think they called those console pianos right? Anyway they used to have them in music class, and of course the school auditorium / stage when I was a kid. There were a LOT of those things made over the years. LOTS of folks had them in their homes, and pretty much any church with a congregation of more than about a dozen people had at least one... My how times have changed. I still have Debi's piano. A Yamaha Digital. Not quite the same thing, but it worked for her. Our church uses Moog digitals... Not sure I have seen one of those console jobs in about 20 years... A pity. There was just something about them. Can't say what it was, but they brought something special to a room...

[twistsol]

That looks like an upright or studio piano. Uprights are the tallest vertical pianos, studio pianos are a bit shorter (44-48 inches), consoles are a little shorter than that (40-44) and a spinet is a little shorter still < 40. We also had a free late 1800's piano and the harp on it cracked one night and we thought the house had exploded. We replaced it with a living room grand, which is one of the mid sized grand pianos at 5'10".

In general, the larger the harp, the better sound you get and why concert grands are in the 9+ foot range.

Nice job on removing the sacrilegious paint job from the piano. I can't believe that anyone at any point in time thought that would look better.

[gsmittle]

According to our piano tech, this one is a large upright.

Nice job on removing the sacrilegious paint job from the piano. I can't believe that anyone at any point in time thought that would look better.

At least they didn’t put thumbtacks in the hammers.

I did a little research on having it professionally refinished/restored. Talk about sticker shock!

[sschering]

Have fun.. I know a whole Piano isn't an easy task. Ours was also painted white..
We refinished ours with Waterlox.

The hard part is getting it back in the house. lol

[twistsol]

Here's how we move pianos in the country. A friend got a piano from someone else in town so my wife and I helped move it. Pallet forks on the tractor's loader and it was easy as pie.



We were able to put it right on the front porch for them.

[dbhost]

I look at that, and even with the tractor with the forks, I am so glad Debi played a digital piano!

[gsmittle]

Now I have an excuse to buy a Bobcat…

[gsmittle]

Have fun.. I know a whole Piano isn't an easy task. Ours was also painted white..
We refinished ours with Waterlox.

The hard part is getting it back in the house. lol

Precisely why I'm doing this project in the house. We're replacing the carpet in the spring, so no harm done. Plus, the thing barely fits through a doorway.

Nice job on the finish, BTW!