Dunmo, Ellis & Hill

[Toots]

Hello all ~ I'm new to the forum because I've recently rescued this gorgeous upright piano, which I plan to bring back to life, but about which I can find no information on the internet. No big deal; nothing in my life is that simple and "Challenge" seems to be my middle name. I hope that here I'll be able to learn, and that you'll be willing to teach. Right straight up front I want you to know that I care nothing about monetary valuation; this piano practically jumped into my arms and so with me it will stay.

So, on to the description:

"Dunmo, Ellis & Hill
London."

appears to be stenciled(?) in gold (leaf?) under the finish, centered on the underside of the key cover.

"King Street, HART & SON, Saffron Walden."

appears to be a decal, gold letters and border on black, centered on the wood just above the keys.

Although we searched, my husband and I could find no apparent serial number. We found the number 6462 in several places, so assumed it a parts number. We found the number 347 molded into the iron harp frame. And we found the number 5986 stamped into the number 1 & 2 keys (no color, dented into the wood).

Stamped into the number 85 key are two names: W. Chivers and W. Symons (again, no color and dented into the wood). Also, at the back of the number 85 key, on the side are pencilled initials/names and dates written: "HFI Jan. 22/08" and "Bearan & M-------sole June 19 .09" (the letters bettween M and sole are indeciferable). Written on key number 52 are the same initials "HFI" with the date "June 18/06.

On the back side of the action is a decal:

"Grand Diplome D'Honneur
Anvers 1885
GEHRLING
PARIS"

It is a 7-octave piano ranging from A to A. There are 85 keys and 213 square-shaped tuning pegs. Every key is stamped (dented into the wood) with its number except key number 81.

All the keys are made of wood: the "white" keys are covered top and front with ivory(?); the "black" keys are very light-weight wood (one has come loose and can be handled) glued to the top of each one's wood key.

It has a "bird cage" action; wires in front of the works for keys 1 through 63; also the only keys affected by the right pedal. There are only two pedals. The workings for the pedals are wood.

There is an old fashioned (smallish) skeleton-type-key lock assembly in the key cover and front wood piece (don't know the name yet) it rests on. I don't have the key; probably lost decades ago. But, if I had a key I bet the lock would still work. (Why lock up a piano??)

I cannot identify the wood used for the case because I'm ignorant when it comes to trees and their grains. There are no red or orange tints, lights, etc. It's "dark" and "sunlight golden". The grain is matched perfectly throughout. Veneers were skillfully used. The front panel down to the front piece below the key cover is of a burly, swirlly, marbley wood ~ beautiful.

The front panel is not divided vertically, but horizontally, frame within frame within frame. And in the rectangular center is one of the most beautiful examples of wood inlay artistry I've ever seen. Flowers in various stages of openness coming up out of water ... each flower (or bud) is unique from the others and all are created from light-to-medium light woods of varying grains and textures, keeping within the "sunlight golden" color scheme of the whole.

To the right and left of the inlay design there were sconces mounted. The sconces are gone, but the darker "shadows" of their mounting bases remain, very ornate, as well as the four screw holes each in a diamond pattern.

I had a tuner/repair person in and she balked when she saw the bird cage action; admitted it was the first she'd ever seen and stated right up front that she didn't want to work on this piano because of it. She suggested I attach sturdy hooks to the front panel and make it a hat rack; and suggested a bed headboard or a fish tank stand for the rest of the beautiful case. My husband and I were extremely polite and thanked her for her time ...

She suggested several books: Piano Servicing, Tuning & Rebuilding by Arthur Reblitz, The Piano Book by Larry Fine, and the Pierce Piano Atlas. So, we went to the library and checked out the first two, not sure if our library has the third as she referred us to the internet for it, but it's only for sale on the internet ... We've come to the conclusion that she only referred us to these books to "prove her point", to alleviate her from her own "guilt(?)" in not wanting to take on this project.

So, I guess the project is mine. My husband wants to be a part of it also, and for that I'm thankful. One bridle strap is wonky, the action seriously needs to be regulated and then it needs to be tuned.

I don't care how long it takes, this beautiful piano will come back to life in my care.

Can any of you help me in any of the numerous specifics I've stated here? Any questions I'll be more than happy to answer. I don't have photos at this moment, but I would be more than happy to take some and post them somewhere so you can see ~ just let me know what views you need.

Well, thanks in advance for your help, comments, advice, etc., and here's hoping for a new, satisfying and long association ...

Michelle (my first name; how do you do?)

[Bill Kibby]

Phew! You have certainly been thorough, you've found all the kinds of marks that may help, and you may find it useful to look at pianogen.org if you haven't already. Dunmo, Ellis & Hill were around from the 1890s to the 1920s, but no dates of serial numbers are available. Hart & Son were dealers, established 1836 and still around in the 1890s at least. Chivers made the keys, Gehrling made the action (the working parts of the notes) and these were commonly imported from France or Germany until the 1914 war. You don't say where you are in the world, but it appears to be somewhere that is not familiar with overdamper ("birdcage") actions, and if the tuners are not open-minded enough to have a go, you may have to look around. There are thousands of these doing useful work around the UK, and often not as decorative as yours seems to be. The Datemarks link at pianogen.org will suggest to you that the keys were made in 1906 or 1908, and the piano finished a year or so later. I can quote for printing available information on the various firms.

[Toots]

Thanks, Bill, for your reply post. Please do send me a quote with specifics via email ~ sbtoots7@yahoo.com ~

"Midwest, U.S." translates to Iowa. I'm a transplant of 7 years as I was born and raised and spent most of my adult life in San Diego, California. Which translates to a melting pot with people from all over the world intermingling. "Closed-mindedness" seems a terminal condition of people here in the middle of this country, and is an unceasing source of frustration for me. I'm a "left-coaster" where one learns almost nothing is impossible and that's my mindset. It's difficult, at best, to function in a society which stone-facedly stamps down as impossible just about all the possibilities one sees.

To be fair, the "natives" of this part of the country are for the most part really good people, many of them descendents of Swedish, German, a few Irish, immigrants. Farmers and craftsmen ... you know the sort; "salt of the earth" and all that. Mostly Swedish around here though, although only the old folks still retain their history and language ~ and I think that's very sad. The true natives, the Indian tribes, one never sees, and I think that's pretty sad too.

I'm something of a "Heinz 57"; my maternal grandfather was a Scot/Choctaw, his father the Scot; maternal grandmother was Irish; paternal grandfather was a Dane; paternal grandmother was Dutch/English. I seem to have inherited both the worst and the best traits in extreme from all of them. After almost 50 years of being considered an oddity, I've finally settled with the notion I'm a one-of-a-kind and I like being unpredictable. Keeps my family on their toes, and that can be quite humorous at times.

But I'm here on behalf of my piano ...

Where do I start?

I can't do anything with its inner workings at the moment as I'm ignorant. I am, however, innately mechanically inclined so feel fairly confident that armed with adequate information and direction, with the proper tools(!), and with my husband's help, I can do the work myself.

So, the case is my immediate concern. How were these old pianos sealed? Or were they? There is no evidence of lacquer degradation, and when I run my fingers lightly over the inlay work I can feel every individual piece of wood and the separations between them.

I need definite specifics on how to clean, preserve and polish ... especially what NOT to do, products NOT to use. Can you all help me with this?

After that, I need a plan: what to do first, then, next, etc. for the inner workings. Pedal workings, action, wobbly keys, a little rust on the strings above the speaking parts ... Help!??

You might be interested to know that the tuner/repair person who told me that what I had was basically a beautiful piece of furniture called me tonight to tell me she'd examined a piano that is going up for sale, is playable with tuning (as mine is not playable) ... How thoughtful of her! It's an old player piano with the player parts removed ... Do you get an inkling of what I'm dealing with here? I'd want to restore that piano ... and I don't want a player piano. Hell, maybe I'm being coerced into a vocation????

Michelle