Restoration is a complete overhaul of the piano using mostly the frame and discarding/replacing the rest.
1914 Werner Upright Project
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. 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.
Whilst the case is being refinished, hardware is sent off to be re-plated. These were the pedals before. This is all the shiny hardware after re-plating. 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. The new German made Abel hammers in place. The keys are cleaned up (on the left) from over 100 years of grime buildup. New bushings installed in both the front and balance rails. New ebony sharp keys replace the old worn ones. 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. The case is returned from the refinisher and we first address any cracks in the soundboard, rib separation or bridge issues. Cleaning the soundboard prior to putting the new strings on. Installing the new treble strings and new tuning pins & bushings. Likewise, new bass strings. With the action back in place, new dampers are installed. 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. The piano is completed and showroom new once again. 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. 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.
