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tempogen

the black embellishments are more Egyptian than Libyan. as for the final finish, i'm thinking about a dull finish that will just preserve the look. the cabinet maker mentioned the name, and it's nothing i can find a technical translation for. these are the original sides btw. The cabinet maker insis...

tempogen

Sneak preview of the cabinet.... Stay tuned!

Mahogany veneer...

tempogen

I have to say... that's just too creepy for words

tempogen

Hello all,

So i'm back to work, and i'm wondering, does anyone have a diagram of how the pedals are supposed to work? i think i'm either missing a wooden rod, or one of the pedals has no function.....

tempogen

i'm quite sure that the primary stain they use is something water based since it soaks right through.. after that as they wipe more and more it gets thicker and heavier in consistency, this is from watching them work.so if that makes any sense to you at all let me know. again i'll take a detailed ac...

tempogen

well all i know is that they wipe back and forth on the surface, seeming to add layer after layer of the dye, to give it that streaky wood look.
I have no idea about the final layer though, but it's not varnish.. i'll have to ask and get back to you on that

tempogen

actually there is even cheaper... it's a 100 GBP for the bits of wood that need changing. only the fall and the two arms that hold the keybed were saved. and roughly 35 for the finish, which is going to be a dye and varnish i think. to try and mimic the original color and texture. the samples i saw ...

tempogen

ok so as long as i'm pausing i thought i'd display the finances hemorrhaged out of me : 507 GBP price of the piano as is 275 GBP all the spare parts excluding hammers and strings (all the felts, springs, dampers, and some needed tools) ----------- 782 GBP Future expenses : 135 GBP the cabinet ( i to...

tempogen

vernon wrote:What subject are studying for your " finals?" Camel racing? Sand castles? Thought I'd ask.

No actually, those are too hard, so i decided to take easy street and study Medicine.

And thanks for asking

tempogen

well that went belly up..

so i have to take a break from my project till mid June as i have some finals coming... it gives time for the orders to come in, and for me to come up with a realistic plan....

tempogen

great so i decided to work around the plate... so i received a pricelist from Heckscher. and with my current budget, i can afford the Abel hammers. now if only i can figure out which ones i need the "STD bored" or the short bore... if I wait a bit i can probably afford the Steinway pattern...

tempogen

Can I have a seconder for my opinion that to loosen the frame screws is potentially disastrous. Tempogen is relying on us. God forbid that i doubt you Vernon, i have complete faith in what you tell me. but, i sort of took it for granted that i have to take the plate, which is that cast-iron thing w...

tempogen

Personnally I consider it most unwise to unscrew any of the frame(plate) screws as I fear the frame may crack- don't know what others think. ok so if i don't unscrew the frame, what do i do exactly? most of the screws moved, with the exception of three that are very stubborn. i didn't try too hard ...

tempogen

ok so what i did so far is the following : Repaired the wippens as such : removed rust from the wires, and polished - well tried to - and oiled with a light oil -please don't worry pianomate- to prevent future rust.. i hope. replaced the backcheck felts, and jack springs when necessary. Replaced all...

tempogen

Well, with the exception of the obvious gaps, the wood is reasonably firm. it just hurts my eyes to look at it. ok here's a dumb question : i should unscrew the cast iron plate right? i mean, i can't possibly work on the sideboard with it still on. but i need to work on the strings as well, and they...

tempogen

so i don't have to saw the decaying part? it's what i was planning to do, right at the red line i drew .... then replace it with a new beam.

tempogen

As soon as i get my hands on a micrometer i'll post the diameter of the string.. however here's a picture: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2248/3535659249_ba5cd7cf73.jpg?v=0 i hope no one had a heavy meal : http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/3535659237_ff6c7ff70c.jpg?v=0 http://farm3.static.flickr.c...

tempogen

Before you go to the trouble of replacing your broken strings, can they not be spliced? Have you tried yet? This is normally a much more satisfactory job as keeping the original strings to match the others is best if it works. Well from what i see, one of them can probably be spliced, as only the i...

tempogen

I would open a trade account if I was you. since you will be buying a few things and you will get the hammers at a lot lot less. what kind of trade account do you mean? i actually use paypal to buy anything i need.. either that or cash. In addition to the hammer, i have two bass strings that need r...

tempogen

Well i do suppose it would be costly, maybe not thousands of pounds but certainly an amount worth thinking about..there is some very handsome Mahogany faced plywood - or something like that- which be very nice i think. Also, i am a bit more ambitious, but as you said i should get all the inner parts...

tempogen

Rebuilding a case is a MAJOR task and requires great skill. If you want to do this, I would only recommend leaving it to a cabinet maker. Sorry to say, but it would definitely not be a job for an amateur. Thanks pianomate. I assure you i am not THAT confident in my woodworking skills, and was defin...

tempogen

thanks pianomate that means a lot.. Regarding the casing, it appears to be made out of rather plain wood, which is a disappointment really. it's a plywood sandwich - think that's what they're called anyway- basically strips of wood between two layers of plywood, finished with a walnut veneer. theref...

tempogen

and the soundboard man, what about the soundboard?

If the lower inch and a half is damaged, can i do something about it?

tempogen

this is not for the faint of heart.... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3622/3515663421_26b6db1a8e.jpg?v=0 This part worries me : http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/3515663433_4751e4c969.jpg?v=0 the piano's lower part got damp at some point... Also, i wonder if the bass wires, which are an iron core ...

tempogen

Thanks Barrie, now i have a plan. I can use the original picture to put the hammerless notes in the right places, and then i will be able to get the right guides. now all that's left is getting the right hammers... of course that is in addition to the strings, checking the soundboard, and refinishin...

tempogen

Thanks Barrie and Vernon. the question is, is there a way to figure out which ones are the guide hammers if my numbering got mixed up? I just figured that when i get the new hammers, i'd just take them out and attach them in order on the bald shanks! that's why i didn't care much to keep track of wh...

tempogen

is there no other way.....

tempogen

so this is what i did: I snapped the broken shaft, and re-bored using a drill... i used a bit that is smaller than the diameter of the shaft, and slowly removed the pieces of the old shaft. i made the holes slightly bigger than the shaft so that i can freely move it before the glue sets. I used two ...

tempogen

Hello, Actually i do have a hammer/butt extractor similar to this 1 : https://www.pianoparts.com/gifs/9E03050.jpg and it's what i used to try and extract the shank - with the aide of the little cramp - however all that happened is that the shank snapped... so i guess i have to go with the drilling i...

tempogen

Hello all.

i could use some help with removing the broken shanks from the hammer butts to replace them.
So far i tried twice without much success. should i snap them off and rebore? it seems that they are firmly attached yet too fragile to stand any sort stress....

tempogen

Thanks for the tip Mr. Heaton...

tempogen

hello all..

I started a blog covering the piano rebuild...
http://blognecromancy.blogspot.com/

All help is appreciated,
all comments are welcome.

tempogen

Speaking as a qualified piano tech this is obviously a Libyan Piano Death beetle. I notice the lifeline on the hand holding the specimen is rather truncated. I recommend that you leave immediately He he he... EPIC. Not only are you a qualified piano tech, but apparently also an entomologist and a p...

tempogen

still working on the notes, but I wanted to look at the keybed : http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3469976721_ceedeb40a3.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3622/3469976731_8ac21ca402.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/3469976735_dde6681b7b.jpg?v=0 Also i found this when sweeping the e...

tempogen

vernon wrote:A out he flange on the right way round and that will help

OOPS...

I noticed that much later...

Thanks Vernon.

tempogen

ok so i started working on the notes, and this is one of the questions: does the spring have to be as tight as A, or can it be like B ? I replaced the spring and attached a new bridle strap.. A http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3455954402_19acf8faf0.jpg?v=0 B http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/34...

tempogen

Hello Pianomate, The cover is actually metal, which i believe has been deliberately pulled of the rail... This piano has been violated and vandalized more than anything else. the damage sustained by actual moisture is not that big. but the broken hammers, the paint, the hammer rail cover... pesky ki...

tempogen

Good morning all, I went to another city for a week and now i'm back. I've been slowly working on the action, unscrewing all the different parts, and removing dirt and rust from all the screws etc... So, i'm having trouble with hammer rail cover.. as you see in the picture, it's separated, and i'm h...

tempogen

Hello all. Happy St Patrick's day! So, I made an order with the following: 18 Upright Piano Hammer Shanks 18 hammer shanks Full set of standard Piano Bridle Straps Hammer Rail Cloth for upright piano Green Spring Rail Felt Spring Rail Felt 10 upright damper springs Full set of assorted keyboard punc...

tempogen

figured as much...
Barrie, it's a daring idea.. ok off to the search engines!

I wonder if there's a Model z manufactured in the us...

Also this is a bit premature, but what do you think about peel and stick natural veneer for the casing finish??

tempogen

Thanks, i think that's not such a bad idea.. There are some auctioned on ebay - chinese hammers that is - does anyone know anything about them : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350177214902&_trksid=p2759.l1259 It would help alot if i could get the hammers at that price... ...

tempogen

Well recentering will come before rebutting :P today i started removing the note sets. so i finally started getting my hands dirty! my plan is to keep the note sets in their current state until i get the spare parts i need. of course i numbered them and tied each set together with a rubber band. in ...

tempogen

Didn't get to the keys yet, i'm concentrating on the m.. i mean action

I'll let you know as soon as i get started with it.

tempogen

The humanity....

tempogen

hello, Pianomate, according to everyone, this piano is already ruined, so even though i am an amateur beginner, there is no chance that i could ruin it more! uphill struggle indeed.... But, perhaps it's naive, but i believe that i can transform this heap into a musical instrument. From my inspection...

tempogen

Fresh out of the piano... Plenty of stuff to do http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3562/3348250291_53944409c5.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3349081620_827db101f5.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3348246023_9c5700a28d.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3348247539_790c42e...

tempogen

you're probably right, xcept for the expensive part, because i wont let it!

I'll do a step by step post when i start..

tempogen

Heh heh not very optimistic eh? well, what i paid was the equivalent to 542 GBP, so it was a risk i was willing to take. I was surprised when i looked thoroughly, and it appears that i was overoptimistic. The keys were moving and the piano actually speaks when i press one, so that at least gave me h...

tempogen

well finally got it here.. here are the pictures of the enormous task i have ahead of me : http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3343604361_bbe7bdaa52.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3344435724_86c2ac5acb.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3307/3343602991_40d7223c82.jpg?v=0 http://farm...

tempogen

Yes sanding.. although i like DIY projects, however i'm guessing that i should really leave this to a professional - which of course is a mythical creature. The Steinway factory in Hamburg said that they do not manufacture the model anymore - duh - and therefore they do not have compatible spare par...

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