Current Projects

Restore on Contract

5'6" Baldwin "E" Grand  #60792

Mahogany veneer with dark walnut lacquer. Built in 1928. Scheduled for rebuilding Spring 2008.

IMPROVEMENTS:

Rebuild—Dismantle. Remove pins and strings. Repair and refinish soundboard and bridges. Install new pinblock. Restring & Repin.

Recondition action—Tighten all action screws. Repair or replace worn and defective action parts as agreed with owner.

Complete Regulation—All adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new, tune to A-440.

Refinish—Strip, repair, sand wood surfaces as needed. Apply grain filler, sealer, stain, lacquer. Install new fallboard decal. Reassemble.

SCHEDULE:

Pick Up—from Ferndale, WA, April 22, 2008

Restoration Work Scheduled--Spring-Summer 2008

5'6" Baldwin "E" Grand #60792 (1928) - "Before, in our shop"

1 – After unpacking, we removed the lid, music rest, and lyre.

5'6" Baldwin "E" Grand #60792 (1928) - "Current Status, in our shop"

29 – We tuned the piano to A-440 pitch before installing dampers, ensuring at the same time that hammers and strings were properly aligned.

5'6" Baldwin "E" Grand #60792 (1928)
Pictures of the Improvement Process
taken in our shop:

1 – After unpacking, we removed the lid, music rest, and lyre.

2 – We placed the bench, lid, lyre, and music rest in storage.

3 – We removed the strings and plate bolts. We sent the bass strings to the string maker for duplication.

4 – We unbolted the plate and lifted it out of the piano. We removed the legs and placed the "case" on our shop transporter. Then we stripped, repaired and sanded the veneered surfaces.

5 – We scraped the old finish from the bridges and soundboard.

6 – We covered the case with blankets and let the soundboard dry under "low heat" overnight to check for any cracks that needed to be repaired.

7 – We made a note of the serial number--this number will be imprinted again below the final coat of finish.

8 – We cleaned the plate with a special abrasive and used our steel wire wheel to clean the plate pins.

9 – We cleaned and polished the agraffes. We will mask the agraffes before refinishing, to preserve their brass color.

10 – We all masked off the "Baldwin" logo on the plate after polishing its surface.

11 – We finished the plate using a special automotive finishing process--primer, color coat, top coat.

12 – We "rough cut" the outside shape of the pinblock in new maple pinblock material. We will carefully shape the new pinblock to the plate edge before drilling bolt holes.

13 – After "dry-fitting" the new pinblock in the plate, we marked the tuning pin holes and then drilled the holes at a 7-degree angle.

14 – The new pinblock is ready!

15 – We finished the bridges and the soundboard with sealer and satin lacquer. When dry, we rubbed down the surface.

16 – We rebolted the pinblock and plate in place, ensuring positions identical to those in the original construction.

17 – We polished and installed the aliquots and understring felts. Using the stringing guide made before destringing, we installed new strings and pins.

18 – Our stringing tools & supplies, including canisters for all sizes of strings, a set of pins, wire cutter, mallet and punch, crank, tuning hammer, screwdriver for spacing, pliers and string hook.

19 – We stripped the old finish off all veneered surfaces of the piano.

20 – We repaired damaged areas of the veneer where necessary, sanded the surfaces, and applied walnut-colored grain filler. Then we sprayed two coats of clear lacquer on each surface.

21 – We placed sprayed wood parts on our storage shelves for drying between coats of lacquer.

22 – We removed the top of the action, and installed lead weights for regulating key height and levelling.

23 – We tightened all action screws and reshaped the hammers.

24 – We replaced the top of the action and regulated blow distance, letoff, drop, and catching.

25 – With the harp and keybed masked off, we applied three coats of clear lacquer to the veneer surfaces.

26 – We applied a new Baldwin decal on the inside of the rim under the final coat of lacquer.

27 – When the lacquer was dry, we removed the masking, inserted the action, and aligned the hammers to the strings.

28 – Action regulating was completed with the action in the piano. We installed the "Spurlock Action Support" for making adjustments with the action pulled forward.

29 – We tuned the piano to A-440 pitch before installing dampers, ensuring at the same time that hammers and strings were properly aligned.

30 –