Black Forest Piano

Piano Tuning & Repair

Home » Restoration

Restoration

Restoration is a complete overhaul of the piano using mostly the frame and discarding/replacing the rest.

1914 Werner Upright Project

Piano Case before Restoration
This piano, which has great sentimental value to the owner, is to be completely refurbished & restored inside and out.  The customer desired the final colour to be in Black Satin Finish.
Piano Interior before Restoration
This was the interior action of the piano. When completed, this piano will have all new strings, hammers, dampers, tuning pins and keytops.

Black Forest Piano does not do refinishing on-site.  The piano is initially moved to our workshop where all interior components are removed from the piano and only the case is sent to our refinisher off-site.

Piano Painting
Piano Paint
Hardware Before
Whilst the case is being refinished, hardware is sent off to be re-plated. These were the pedals before.
Hardware After
This is all the shiny hardware after re-plating.
old worn & flat hammers and the dampers
Work continues back at the shop on the action.  Here are the old worn & flat hammers and the dampers that are way beyond useful life.
New dampers and German made Able hammers
New dampers and German made Abel hammers in place
Clean Keys
The keys are cleaned up (on the left) from over 100 years of grime buildup.
New Bushings
New bushings installed in both the front and balance rails.
Worn Piano Keys
New ebony sharp keys replace the old worn ones.
Restored Piano Keys
Real ivory is no longer used on the natural keys but we are able to replace worn/missing keytops with plastic that look very much like ivory, especially important to maintain the period look of the piano.
Ribs
The case is returned from the refinisher and we first address any cracks in the soundboard, rib separation or bridge issues.
Clean Sunboard
Cleaning the soundboard prior to putting the new strings on.
New Strings
Installing the new treble strings and new tuning pins & bushings.
New Bass
Likewise, new bass strings.
New Dampers
With the action back in place, new dampers are installed.
Finished Piano Restoration
Regulation is performed to get the action playing properly and many, many tunings are done as it takes time for new strings to stretch and stabilize.
Finished Piano Restoration
The piano is completed and showroom new once again.
1954 Winter Spinet
For those on a budget, a refurbishment can be done using existing action parts providing they are still usable.  This 1954 Winter spinet was left in a garage for many years and suffered extensive damage to the wood finish and major structure failure.
1954 Winter Spinet Restored
Legs, music desk, bench and structure repaired, cleaned and regulated. The case finish was cleaned then enhanced with Restore-A-Finish.  Not factory new but presentable and playable for thousands less than a full restore.
C3
1909 Chickering
C2
C1
C1A
Showroom new!