LATEST UPDATE OF THIS PAGE: 2/28/04

Previous Projects

 

Restored On Contract

 

58" Emerson Upright #100916

Beautiful specialty wood cabinet. Built 1912. Restored by Ray’s Piano Service, January-February, 2004

Our budget for this project was $2,350. Restored, this piano will provide another generation of musical happiness.  Its major attraction is its deep, rich tone, due to its extraordinary large size and the length of the strings.
IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED:
Rebuild—Dismantle. Remove strings, pins, plate. Repair and refinish sound board and bridges. Re-install plate. Install new strings and pins. Rebuild pedal mechanisms.

Recondition Action—Clean interior. Install new hammers. Install new bridle tapes. Install new damper pads. Tighten screws. Replace additional defective parts. Rebush keys as needed.

Complete Regulation—Install new underkey punchings. Make adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new: key height, key leveling, hammer blow distance, lost motion, letoff,  pedals, spoons. Tune to A-440
SCHEDULE:
Purchased and Picked Up from Camano Island, WA: December 20, 2003
Improvements Completed: January, 2004
Delivered to Camano Island, WA: February 28, 2004

 

1912 Emerson Upright -- "After" picture:

This piano has a beautiful cabinet, and after our improvements the interior also looks and works like new!

 

1912 Emerson Upright -- "Before" picture:

In order to move the piano through the narrow hallway to the side entrance of the house, we dismantled it before moving it. In this view, the piano is on its back on our "tilter," the bass strings have been removed, as well as the keybed.

 

1912 Emerson Upright
Pictures of the Improvement Process
taken in our shop:

 

1 – We removed the pedal board in order to have open access to the strings and the plate. After removing the strings and pins, we unbolted the plate.

2 – We placed a heater under the soundboard during the destringing process. After a few hours of drying, additional cracks appear in the soundboard. These will be repaired before the soundboard is refinished.

 

3 – We repaired soundboard cracks by gluing v-shaped spruce wood shims in them. Then we scraped off the old finish and applied two coats of spar urethane.

4 – Action reconditioning began with removal of the old dampers, hammers, and bridle tapes and replacing them with new parts. Then we tightened all action screws, and we replaced additional defective parts, such as broken brass flanges and cracked hammer shanks.

 

5 – We cleaned the plate with detergent, removed all rust from the screws and the action bolts, and then rebolted the plate in place.

6 – After installing new understring felt, we installed a complete set of strings and pins.

 

7 – After completing the restringing, we re-installed the pressure bar above the treble strings and we installed stringing braid.

8 – We cleaned the keybed and rebuilt the pedal mechanisms. Then we re-installed the keybed and pedal board.

 

9 – We began action reconditioning by removing all the damper levers and by replacing all broken hammer butts and shanks with new ones.

10 – We cleaned surfaces of the catchers where leather was very thin or worn down to the wood, especially in the middle of the piano.

 

11 – We removed all the wippens one by one, removed the old jack springs, re-drilled the spring hole and installed a complete set of jack springs.

12 – We removed all hammer heads, and replaced them with a set of new ones.

 

13 – We cleaned the hammer springs and the hammer rail; then re-installed the rail.

14 – We removed all the old bridle tapes and installed a new set.

 

15 – We cleaned all metal parts of the damper, then sanded off the old damper heads, and replaced the damper levers in the piano action.

16 – With the action reassembled, we positioned it on the keybed so all hammers were aligned to the strings and to achieve the best tone possible.

 

17 – We cleaned and polished the keyframe pins and the wood surfaces, removed the old keycloth, and then reinstalled the keyframe on the keybed.

18 – We installed new treble damperheads with the action out of the piano, and then installed new bass damperheads with the action in piano. This completed action reconditioning.

 

19 – We repaired a broken key.

20 – We reglued several keytops that had become loose.

 

21 – With the action and the keys in the piano, we conducted a complete regulation, adjusting hammer blow distance, letoff, capstans, dampers, spoons, keydip, and catching distance. Then we tuned the piano three times to ensure tuning stability.

22 – We made a special prop to make the left pedal work again. This pedal moves the hammer rail forward, reducing the hammer blow distance, resulting in a lighter touch and softer tone. This piano has an interesting gadget called a "soft pedal compensator."