Current Projects

Restore on Contract

55" D.S. Johnson Upright #59731 (1910)
Ribbon mahogany cabinet. Built in 1910. Rebuilt and Refinished by Ray’s Piano Service, 2009

IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED:

Rebuild—Dismantle. Remove strings, pins, plate. Replace bass bridge. Repair and refinish sound board and treble bridges. Re-install plate. Install new strings and pins. Rebuild pedal mechanisms.

Recondition Action—Clean.  Install new hammers & shanks & butts & whippens.

Complete Regulation—Install new underkey punchings. Make adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new: key height, key levelling, hammer blow distance, lost motion, letoff,  sustain, spoons. Tune to A-440

Complete Refinishing—Strip, repair, sand, refinish cabinet and panels. Provide new refinished bench.

SCHEDULE:

Picked up from Bellingham, WA: March 12, 2009

Dismantle, order parts, strip cabinet, repair board and bridges, restring: July 2009

Recondition action, complete regulation, first tunings: August 2009

Repair & refinish cabinet: August 2009

Deliver: October 14, 2009

1910 D.S. Johnston Upright "Before"

1 – Upon arrival in our shop, we carefully examined the piano to verify our original evaluation. . .

1910 D.S. Johnston Upright "After"

46 - The new finish turned out well, and the piano now plays and looks like new, although it was originally built a century ago.

1910 D.S. Johnston Upright 55"
Pictures of the Restoration Process
taken in our shop, March-September 2009:

1 – Upon arrival in our shop, we carefully examined the piano to verify our original evaluation.

2 - Keys and Fallboard Decal. We will use the current keytops, replace one missing sharp.

3 – We dismantled the piano and removed the strings, pins, and plate--exposing the board and bridges for repairs and refinishing.

4 - We placed the lid, music rest, fallboard and lower panel in our storage rack.

5 - We placed the plate in the refinishing room for temporary storage.

6 - We placed the keybed and pedal board against a shop wall for cleaning and reconditioning.

7 - We stripped the veneered wood surfaces on the cabinet and panels.

8 - Stripping brought out the beautiful grain pattern of the mahogany veneer.

9 - After stripping, we repaired damaged areas of veneer by gluing and clamping new veneer in place.

10 - We glued and clamped in place the right leg extension, which had become unstuck and no longer supported the weight of the piano.

11 - We sanded all veneered wood surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper.

12 - Panels and fallboard were stored in the storage rack after sanding.

13 - We applied grainfiller and stain on all veneered wood surfaces. This gave us a good idea of the final color. Following grainfiller and stain, we will apply sealer.

14 - All other parts went through the same processes of grainfiller and stain, and sealer.

15 - One board in the soundboard was no longer attached to the ribs. Using home-made clamps, washers, and 14 guage wire, we glued and clamped this length of board to the ribs.

16 - View of soundboard clamping from the front of the piano.

17 - We glued and clamped the bass bridge cap to the apron, to ensure that string vibrations will transfer efficiently to the soundboard when the piano is restrung.

18 - Tuning pin tightening "sleeves" had been installed in four tuning pin holes. We removed the sleeves, drilled 39/64" holes and glued 5/8" maple dowels. We will drill new tuning pin holes in this section of the piano during restringing.

19 - We glued spruce shim in two long cracks in the Soundboard.

20 - We scraped and sanded the soundboard, then applied sealer and spar urethane.

21 - Ready for re-installation of the plate.

22 - We scrubbed the plate with detergent.

23 - We lifted the plate with our ceiling-mounted winch, and lowered it back into the piano.

24 - We cleaned the plate screws and tightened the plate back in place. In preparation for stringing, we installed new understring felt.

25 - We restrung the and repinned the treble section using size 4/0 tuning pins. These oversize pins are tight and will support tunings at concert pitch for many more years, extending the life of the piano.

26 - After restringing and repinning, we re-installed the pressure bar and stringing braid. Now we're ready to mask off the harp and apply 3 coats of lacquer to the cabinet and to the other veneered surfaces.

27 - We masked the strings, plate and board, and applied the final coats of lacquer to the cabinet and the panels.

28 - We placed the action on our workbench and removed the rails for access to the parts to be replaced.

29 - We removed the old hammer heads and installed new hammers, odd numbers first to ensure correct alignment.

30 - We removed the old bridle tapes and glued new tapes to the tops of the butts.

31 - When the glue was dry, we installed the hammer rail and the letoff rail, and then placed the bridle tapes onto the wires.

32 - We re-installed the hammer spring rail, after cleaning and lubricating the springs.

33 - We reconditioned the pedal mechanisms and polished the pedals.

34 - We re-installed the stretcher board and glued new felt bushings into the pedal spacers.

35 - 'We re-installed the pedal board.

36 - We re-installed the legs.

37 - We bolted the action in place and aligned the hammers to the strings.

38 - We cleaned the keys.

39 - We cleaned the damper levers, springs, and removed the old damper pads.

40 - We glued new treble damper pads to the damper levers.

41 - We installed the bass damper pads onto the blocks with the action in the piano to be sure they were accurately positioned.

42 - We regulated letoff, the sustain mechanisms, spoons, key height, key leveling, and dip.

43 - We tuned the piano several times before delivery.

44 - We assembled the new bench which we had refinished with the same material as the cabinet.

45 - The fallboard decal turned out beautiful!