Wellington Upt 1932

57" Wellington Upright #30186
Traditional Walnut Cabinet. Built in 1932. Reconditioned, regulated and tuned by Ray's Piano Service in May, 2015 for the owner in Becker, MN.

Selected pictures of the step-by-step improvement process
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Original Manufacturer of this brand-name--The Cable Piano Company

Established--1880 in New York, 1890 with Conover Bros, 1920 in Chicago and St. Charles, ILL.

Other brand-names used by this manufacturer--Pool, Ivers & Pond, Conover, Kingsbury, Schiller.

From: Pierce Piano Atlas, 12th Edition (2008, Larry Ashley Publisher, Albuquerque, NM).

Note: To obtain the age of your piano and details about the manufacturer, click: Pierce Piano Atlas--"the world's most authoritative publication on piano manufacturers, past and present." To learn how a piano works and how to go about buying one, we encourage you to purchase The Piano Book.

01-Action in shop

02-Keys removed from piano

03-Action cleaned with compressed air

04-Reglue loose damper block

05-Damper levers removed

06-Remove old bridle tapes

07-Remove regulating rail & spring rail

08-Replace tight center pins

09-Replace weak jack springs

10-Tighten all action screws

11-Reshape hammers

12-Replace worn back check leather

13-Replace broken regulating screw

14-Install new hammer rail cloth

15-Install new bridle tapes

16-Lubricate & reinstall damper rail

17-Replace broken hammer rail spring

18-Reinstall hammer spring rail

19-Replace broken damper flange

20-Install new damper felts

21-Action reconditioning complete

22-Repair broken key

23-Repair broken key button

24-Install new keytop

IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED:
Complete Cleaning--Clean strings, pressure bar, keybed, keys, keypins, pedal mechanisms.
Repair Bass Bridge--Loosen all bass strings, reglue & screw bridge apron in position.
Recondition Action—Tighten all action screws. Align hammers to strings. Reshape hammers. Remove damper levers and replace damper felts. Replace parts as needed.
Complete Regulation—All adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new, raise pitch, tune to A-440.

26-Clean interior & strings with steel wool

27-Loosen all bass strings half turn

28-Glue & screw apron to soundboard

29-Clean keypins and install new underkey felt punchings

30-Tighten bass strings half turn, tap down strings at bridges

31-Lubricate pedal mechanisms & tighten screws

32-Regulate treble damper felts

33-Align hammers to strings

34-Regulate damper spoons

35-Install underkey cloth

36-Regulate capstans

37-Regulate white key heights

38-Regulate sharp key heights

39-Regulate let-off

40-Space white keys

41-Rough regulate key dip

42-Fine regulate key dip

43-Raise pitch & tune

44-Reassembled, keys & fallboard

45-Project complete!

EVALUATION REPORT:
Before starting this project, we found that moving parts, felt and leather surfaces showed extensive wear after 77 years of use. The action was very noisy, action screws were loose and regulation adjustments were poor. The piano was structurally sound, however--well worth restoring. We contracted with the owner to complete improvements which will "address immediate issues."