Considering buying a 1921 Bluthner - Advice needed

[Speedswitch]

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I am considering to buy and restore a 1921 Bluthner upright piano. As the piano has some "issues" i was hoping to get some advice from you guys. I have not restored an entire piano before, but i did restore an upright piano action, as well as the casing of an old Dohnert piano.

About the piano: Its a 1921 built Bluthner, overstrung and overdamped. Upon inspection the piano showed some problems.

Downsides:
> It has been stored in a humid room for the last 2 years. Result: The action is not working too well. Hammers sometimes "jam" and the dampers dont always return to their old position. The hammers also dont appear to be alligned very well, and the dampers will need to be restored with a new layer of felt. So the action will require a lot of attention.

Also, due to the humidity some tuning pins and strings are a bit rusty. Not too bad, just a little bit. I think the rust can be removed without restringing the whole thing.

The biggest problem i encountered though, was a small crack in the cast iron frame. It starts in the low right corner of the trebble tuning block, extends to the right end side of the frame, and is about 2.5 centimeters long.

Upsides:

> The tuningblock itself looks great, no loose pins or cracks in the block. Same goes for the keyboard, perfectly alligned and looks well maintained.
The soundboard also looks like it is in perfect condition, no cracks whatsoever (which is a miracle considering it has been in a moist environment) and it also still has its crown. Bridge looks great as well, still firmly attached to the soundboard.
The hammers are still quite "round" which tells me the piano has not been played very intensively throughout its life. Also the casing of the piano is quite solid and nice, could not find unrepairable issues.

About the intended restoration:
I am planning on restoring this piano and get it back into playable shape. I do this as a hobby, i do not need to make profit and i can easily spend the next 6 months on repairing, replacing and restoring it. So time is absolutely not an issue. I can also get help from a professional piano restorer when i need it. The amount of money i am willing to spend is between 800 and 1000 euro's.

My question to you guys:
Seeing as the soundboard is perfectly fine, as well as the bridge, strings, keyboard and casing, there are two big issues left: The action, and the crack in the cast iron frame. The action i can restore myself, it will take a lot of time and quite some money, but as i probably wont need to replace the hammers i think i can work this out and stay well within budget.
The crack in the plate concerns me though. It is located in a weird place and i am not sure how it will behave when the piano will be tuned again. I hope some of you may give me some insight or info into this.

In other words: Is this project a great chance to get a beautifully crafted old piano singing again, or is any money spent on it a big waste because the frame wont hold?

Thanks for your time and info!

(Sorry if i mess up some specific technical therms, but English is not my native language)

[joseph]

It's not impossible to repair a cracked frame, but it's costly and I'm not convinced that it's a financially viable option.

I'd let it go and look for another piano, but you may be able to prove me wrong. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I don't think you'll be able to restore it for 1000 euros. I've no idea how much a stich weld costs but have a look at this, for information if nothing else:

scroll down the page to the bit about the Knight upright. I don't know if Mr Giller is a poster on this forum, if he is then perhaps he can PM you with the costs involved


http://www.gillerpianos.co.uk/restoration.php?examples

[NewAge]

It's not impossible to repair a cracked frame, but it's costly and I'm not convinced that it's a financially viable option.

I'd let it go and look for another piano, but you may be able to prove me wrong. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I don't think you'll be able to restore it for 1000 euros. I've no idea how much a stich weld costs but have a look at this, for information if nothing else:

scroll down the page to the bit about the Knight upright. I don't know if Mr Giller is a poster on this forum, if he is then perhaps he can PM you with the costs involved http://www.gillerpianos.co.uk/restoration.php?examples

Very interesting reading of the frame crack in the Knight upright. Should be interesting to learn of the cost to remedy that.
The cause it was stated was due "to building work outside the house."
- Can one assume that excessive vibration brought that about?
- Would that not be a particularly unusual cause for frame cracking?
- Am I right in thinking that a manufacturing defect would be the most 'common' cause for cracking in a frame?