Bechstein castor replacement

[TimJWatts]

Hi,

I have a Bechstein upright - inherited. And slate floors. I think you see where this is going

The old brass castors have seized and I daren't move it, so the plan is to replace the castors with larger rubber/plastic ones.

Before anyone says: "It'll ruin the coupling to the floor, affect sound etc" - that is a secondary concern. The primary concern is that it be easily movable for cleaning, dropped items and so on and not knacker the floor. Adding to the height isn't a problem either - I'll just add a foot rest under the pedals.

I was planning to just put on some industrial square plate castors on in place of the brass ones, but upon closer examination, the base of the piano appears not to be flat. From what I can feel, the existing castors seem to be mounted into a recess hole about 2" diameter (I will get a mirror and rule and measure it properly later).

I wondered if this is a standard mounting of some sort and what the best replacement castor would be?

Is it likely these would fit: http://www.piano-safety-castors.co.uk/c ... -4-26.html? That's already pretty expensive, I'm loath to go much more (eg castor frames).

Or is there a better solution that would be fairly easy to fit? I am competent at relatively advanced DIY and have most powertools, except a router (yet) so enlarging the hole might be a challenge.

My method of last resort would be to hole-saw some oak circles and glue flush into the recesses to accept modern square plate castors, but before I resort to that, I thought it worth asking to see if there is a product compatible with the Bechsteins.

Many thanks,

Tim

[Colin Nicholson]

Tim,
Piano castors are universal, and none specially made for Bechstein.
I would recommend ones with "rubberex" wheels - either single or double-wheel.

Your existing castors sound like they have a "Pummell" fitting, to add extra support for the castor, but if the piano is not to be moved regularly, standard castors with a plate would be OK. The 'socket' hole for the pummell is around 10 - 12mm in diameter. Filling then redrilling a pummell socket needs care, so not to weaken the structure, and you may need a piano bench truck to do the job properly. Are the recessed plates round or square? This may need a pre-examination first in order to purchase the same kind of castors, but none are assigned to Bechstein only.

Now then.... slate floor. To protect the floor and prevent damage, I would firstly recommend that the piano is lifted straight onto piano trolley wheels, then spun around so the keyboard is facing the wall (leaving a reasonable gap). Then a bench truck is used to tip the piano over onto its back.... if special flooring, I would recommend some sheets of ply wood to protect the floor from the small steel dolly wheels on the bench truck. A bench truck is a similar device to a fork-lift truck, but done manually - and a large curved steel wheel gradually tips the piano over - I have one at great expense!! They are perfect for castor replacements, pedal repairs and even re-stringing a piano - so the piano lays horizontal with the keyboard facing upwards, and easy access to the castors.

I will be doing a piano shortly - on new laminated flooring, but the piano has no castors at all - just sat on wooden blocks, so the process is the same as above.

Just wondered how you are going to do the job yourself if you dare not move it?

This is quite a specialised job so your piano is lifted clean away from the floor, otherwise if you try to move it in-situ, the seized castors will just carve a lovely deep groove into your slate flooring, and one may crack aswell. The fitting of the castors is straight forward, but the prep work for newly laminated or slate/tiled flooring is the key to a good job. Inc parts & labour, about £150. (and requires an assistant)

If you tip the piano over yourself - just take care, I have seen many injuries related to DIY piano jobs, and with the weight of a Bechstein crashing onto its back - who knows.

Hope that helps....

CN

[TimJWatts]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for that reply. Glad to hear the castors are universal and the mention of Pummel fitting is useful for research.

As to the fitting: I wouldn't dare move the piano as is - it will scratch the floor - though doubt it will crack - I was responsible for prepping the subfloor prior to tiling - I don;t think an elephant in stilletos will crack it

I was planning on a) getting a beefy mate, b) several sheets of hardboard to slide under the front castors, then drag the rear castors onto the sheet. Then we should be able to spin it around on the polished side of the hardboard (I'll use a double layer of hardboard if necessary, shiny side to shiny side).

As you suggest, I was planning to remove all loose parts and tip it over onto planks of wood with some old blankets to protect the piano.

I'll measure those castors first though to see if the job is a go-er or not.

You say £150 all in is a reasonable price? That would be acceptable (given the castor retail price is heading that way from what I can see) to have it done properly. Know anyone in East Sussex (Robertsbridge) who undertakes such work?

Ta muchly,

Tim

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

If you are worried about your surfaces I would hire a professional piano mover to come in and put the piano on a trolley. Once on the trolley you can move it away from the wall to get some working space. Then tip the piano up at one end so that you have space to replace the 2 castors at that end. Then tip the piano up the other way so you can fit the 2 castors at the other end.

They might charge about £50-£60 but I'd get them in to reduce risk.

[Colin Nicholson]

Hi Tim,
I used to pass through Robertsbridge on my way to Hastings fairly reg to see Mother in Law!., but since splitting with my partner, I no longer make that enduring journey any more - but nice part of the countryside (except the queues of traffic on A21!!)

Anyway, I would suggest London - don't think anyone in your local area (or even Hastings) will have the tech stuff to do that job, but I may be wrong.

Someone will see this post sooner or later, and maybe able to recommend a 'joanna' expert - should be loads in London.

So I can envisage that you are going to use a double layer of hardboard - bit like a sledge for the piano to sit on? Well, just hope the weight of the piano doesn't dig the castors down further - so might be a good idea to put some castor cups under the castors first.... or plenty of elbow grease will be needed to slide it.

Good luck, a bit of a challenge there....

[mdw]

Anyway, I would suggest London - don't think anyone in your local area (or even Hastings) will have the tech stuff to do that job, but I may be wrong.

Im sure Sussex pianos would be able to do the job with ease and they are not a million miles from you.

[Colin Nicholson]

.... and seen the name on this forum so many times!! of course.
Just had a quick look Tim, and they are about 14 miles from you, Hailsham area?
So just a stone's throw away.
Let me know how you get on with the job.