LATEST UPDATE OF THIS PAGE: 2/19/06

Current Projects

 

 5'5" Baldwin "R" Grand #57044

Dark Walnut, Built in 1926,
Rebuilt by Ray's Piano Service, Summer 2003. Refinished by Ray's Piano Service Fall 2006.

Elegant "Queen Anne" style. A very heavy piano for its size, with a deep, rich tone.

IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED:

Rebuild—Repair soundboard, refinish soundboard & bridges, refinish plate, restring and repin.

Recondition action—Complete cleaning, install new hammers, tighten action screws, replace defective parts.

Regulate & Tune—all adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new, tune to A-440.

Refinish—Dismantle, strip, repair veneer, sand, apply stain & filler, apply sealer, apply lacquer, reassemble.

SCHEDULE:

Picked up in Bellingham, WA—April 2003

Rebuild, Reconditioning, Regulation completed—August 2003

Pick up from owner in Issaquah, WA—February 18, 2006

Store for several months, Refinish—2006

Deliver to owner in Cle Elum, WA—Early 2007


 "Before" picture of 1926 Baldwin "R" Grand. Very little veneer repair was required, and the original finish is still very beautiful. Has original ivory keytops--

 

After pickup in February 2006, we placed the piano against a shop wall carefully protected with blankets and a large tarp. We will unpack it and refinish it in the Fall of 2006 when the owner lets us know that his new house to be built in Cle Elum, WA, is almost finished.

 

Pictures of the improvement process
taken in our shop:

1 – The ivory keys are, clean and shiny, like new. Since the original finish is being maintained, the piano still has the original decals.

2 – The piano's legs are massive. The bench legs match those of the piano.

3 – The plate had an interesting "copper" color. We refinished it using a very similar color.

4 - We removed the bass strings and sent them to the string makers for duplication.

5 – Before removing the strings and pins, we recorded the string sizes on a "stringing scale," to be used as a guide in restringing.

6 – Using a 1/2-inch drill, we removed the tuning pins after removing the strings.

7 – We arranged the plate bolts on a cardboard box; with reassembly, the bolts will be installed in the same locations.

8 – Using our ceiling-mounted winch, we removed the plate from the piano.

9 – With the sound board and pinblock exposed, it is possible to make effective repairs and refinish these important wood parts.

10 – We scraped and sanded the sound board and bridges.

11 – We refinished the sound board and bridges with spar urethane.

12 – We refinished the plate, using the same process and material employed by autobody shops.

13 – We cleaned the keyframe and installed new underkey punchings. We also cleaned and buffed the keys.



14 – After bolting the plate in place again, the installed new strings and pins.

15 – With restringing complete, the interior of the piano looks brand new again!  This also enhances the tone.



16 – We installed new hammers. This is an important improvement for the enhancement of piano tone.



17 – With the action on the workbench and again with the action in the piano, we made several regulation adjustments: hammer blow distance, key height and levelling, keydip, letoff and dip.



18 – We re-installed the dampers and regulated the pedal mechanisms.



19 – We tuned the piano's new strings several times during the first month after completing the project.



20 – We're confident that the right buyer will be found for this piano. It is very suitable for a music room or parlor. It will give the new owners many years of musical enjoyment.