LATEST UPDATE OF THIS PAGE: 2/9/04

Previous Projects

 

50" Kimball Upright #173999 Walnut cabinet, Built in 1906, Rebuilt by Ray's Piano Service, Fall 2002 This piano was a "family heirloom" on which grandmother learned to play as a child. The owners had it restored and then presented it to the next generation for their enjoyment. The budget for the entire restoration project, including pick-up and delivery, after-delivery tuning, and 1-year guarantee on all improvements, was $3,920. IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED: Rebuild—Repair soundboard, refinish soundboard & bridges, refinish plate, restring and repin. Refinish—Repair & strip cabinet & bench. Apply walnut stain, sealer & lacquer. Install new rubber buttons. Install new fallboard decal. Replate pedals. Recondition action—Complete cleaning. Install new hammers. Tighten action screws. Replace defective parts. Regulate—All adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new. Tune to A-440.   SCHEDULE: Picked up from Bellingham, WA : July 2003 Restoration completed: September 2003 Delivered to Bellingham, WA: September 2003

 

1906 Kimball Upright -- "After" picture:

 

1906 Kimball Upright -- "Before" picture:

 

Pictures of the improvement process taken in our shop:

1 – We dismantled the piano and removed the bass strings for shipment to the string-maker.	2 – We stripped and sanded all veneered surfaces and applied stain, sealer, and lacquer. The owners requested a reddish hue, so we mixed red mahogany with dark walnut. The resulting color matched the moulding of their remodeled home.
3 – We repaired the soundboard, scraped off the old finish, and refinished with spar urethane.	4 - We installed new strings and pins.
5 – We refinished the panels the same color as the cabinet.	6 – Old Kimball uprights have unique brass flanges holding down the damper levers. Several had broken, so we ordered new ones.
7 – We installed new hammers and treble dampers.	8 – We installed new plastic keytops.
9 – After the keys and action were re-installed, we conducted a complete regulation of all adjustments required for smooth performance of all moving parts--hammer blow distance, lost motion, key height and leveling, letoff, key dip, dampers, spoons, and pedal mechanisms.	10 – We tuned the piano several times before delivery, to ensure tuning stability. We will tune the piano again about 6-8 weeks after delivery.
11 – We made a "soft pedal" bar attachment, which decreases piano volume by pressing down the middle pedal.	12 – We were pleased to display the piano for a couple of weeks in our showroom until delivery date.
13 – This piano has a huge bench with solid legs matching the design of the piano legs.	14 – Stripping and sanding the ornate music rest of this piano was a bit of challenge, but our efforts were richly rewarded with the result!