Current Projects

Restore on Contract

5' 2"Knabe Grand #90648 (1921)

IMPROVEMENTS:
Rebuild--Remove dampers, strings, tuning pins, dampers, plate. Repair and refinish soundboard. Replace pinblock. Refinish plate. Restring and repin.

Recondition Action--Remove wippens, damper felts, wippens, back checks. Install new hammers and shanks. Install new wippens. Install new back checks. Install new damper felt. Rebush keys.

Regulation--Replace underkey punchings. Complete regulation, to ensure reliable performance. Tune to A-440.

Repairs, Refinishing--Rebuild lyre, install new lyre supports. Repair and refinish bench, music rest.

SCHEDULE:

Pick up piano--May 8, 2007

Complete Improvements--May-July, 2007

Deliver to Bellingham--August 14, 2007

Knabe Grand #90648 (1921) 5'2" - "BEFORE"

Knabe Grand #90648 (1921) 5'2" - "AFTER"

45 - Finished! Ready for delivery.

Knabe Grand #90648 (1921) 5'2"
Additional Pictures
taken in our shop

1 – After arrival in our shop, we set up the piano in our shop.

2 – We removed the legs and set up the piano on our "grand transporter" for ease in moving around the shop.

3 – We removed the action and all dampers, and placed these components in temporary storage for later attention.

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

5 – We prepared a guide showing string sizes for use with restringing.

6 – We removed the treble strings and tuning pins.

7 – We used a half-inch drill for removing the tuning pins.

8 – We removed the plate bolts and arranged them on a cardboard box.

9 – We lifted the plate out of the piano with our ceiling-mounted winch.

10 – We removed the pinblock from the underside of the plate, measured its thickness and ordered a replacement the correct size.

11 – We removed the sostenuto mechanism from the keybed.

12 – We cleaned the plate with detergent, applied grease and wax remover, polished the agraffes and hitch pins, and installed masking tape over the agraffes.

13 – After cleaning with wax and grease remover, we applied urethane primer to the plate.

14 – After sanding and cleaning the primed surfaces of the plate, we mixed bronzing crystals in clear catalyzed urethane and applied this final finish to the plate.

15 – We scraped the old finish off the surfaces of the soundboard and bridges.

16 – After sanding, we applied two coats of sealer to the soundboard and bridges.

17 – We glued a spruce shim in a small crack in the soundboard.

18 – We carefully positioned the plate to ensure proper downbearing from bass to treble.

19 – After fitting the pinblock and bolting it in place, we drilled the tuning pin holes.

20 – The tuning pin holes extend through the pinblock in this piano, to accommodate 2 1/2" pins.

21 – We installed new plate bushings.

22 – In preparation for restringing, we taped the "stringing guide" to the front of the stretcher and masked the top edge.

23 – We installed understring felt.

24 – With the pinblock jack in place, we installed new strings and pins. During restringing, we tuned each new string to its proper pitch, giving the strings a couple of weeks to "settle" before final tuning and delivery.

25 – After re-stringing was completed, we installed the action and brought all strings up to pitch with several tunings, in order to ensure stability of tunings after delivery.

26 – We cleaned all keys with steel wool and installed new back checks. Then we repaired several keys with cracked key buttons by inserting glue in the cracks and also installing a thin piece of veneer on the side of each key for extra strength.

27 – With the keys removed, we cleaned the keyframe, polished the pins, and installed new underkey punchings.

28 – We removed all the original key bushings and, using Spurlock cauls, we rebushed the key buttons.

29 – We also rebushed the key fronts.

30 – We removed the even-numbered shanks & hammers, then installed replacements, using the odd-numbered shanks & hammers as guides.

31 – After hammer installation, we cut the shanks and sanded them smooth.

32 – We installed the uneven numbered wippens, using the even-numbered wippens as guides.

33 – We installed the wippen heels while installing wippens.

34 – We stripped and sanded all parts of the bench in preparation for refinishing it.

35 – We applied filler, stain, sealer, black lacquer and clear lacquer to the bench parts.

36 – After refinishing, we re-assembled the bench.

37 – We repaired the music rest.

38 – We repaired the music desk.

39 – We conducted a complete regulation of the newly assembled action: keyheight & leveling, hammer height, blow distance, letoff, drop, springs, back checks. Where necessary, we traveled and aligned the wippens and the hammers.

40 – We reconditioned the damper action.

41 – While installing the dampers, we discovered that it was necessary to raise the damper lift felts about 1/8".

42 – Using the Spurlock damper lever height guide, we installed the dampers.

43 – Dampers installed and regulated.

44 – We tuned the piano to A-440.

45 – Finished! Ready for delivery.