Research for book- JB Cramer ship's piano

[WrenPlays]

Hello there,
I am wondering if anyone would be so kind as to help me with information about my JB Cramer yacht's (I hope this is correct!) piano, constructed 1898. I am writing a book in which I will mention the piano, and want to make sure the details are correct as far as possible. Any general information about these pianos would be most welcome, and I'm particularly wondering about answers to the following, since I am particular interested in natural materials and their origins for the purpose of the book:
- Wood used for construction. I have been told possibly Honduran Mahogany. Does this sound right? I have also bee told the particular tree used may now be extinct- any insight?
-What would have been used to polish the wood for the finish i.e. some kind of wax?
- The original felts are in the piano. Does anyone know where these felts were made? Would it have been English wool being used and was there a particular place where piano felts were manufactured?
- Is there any way to trace which yacht/ ship this piano might have been on?
- Does anyone know much about where ivory for the key would have been sourced from at that time? I'm assuming this is elephant ivory and would like to know where it might have originated from.
- I'm assuming the initials and date shown in the photograph indicate initials of a piano tuner and the date they tuned. Would this be right?

Thank you very much in advance,
Sophie

[chrisw]

I wouldn't like to say that it is mahogany. Mahogany that I have used in cabinet making doesn't have patches of dark grain. Honduran or true mahogany is not extinct to my knowledge.

[WrenPlays]

Thank you, Chris. That's helpful to know!

[Barrie Heaton]

It's more like rosewood, hard to tell with those white scratches

[chrisw]

Barrie,I think you might be correct that it is rosewood. I had discounted looking carefully at the photograph showing the front of the piano because it seemed to show just a dark brown and dull wooden surface. If you take the polish off rosewood, and this happened to the rosewood handle on my jack plane you just observe a dull dark brown surface showing little of the grain colouring.

[Bill Kibby]

As far as I can discover, nobody ever made anything called a "Ship's Piano", this was probably a Yacht Piano, or a Patent Portable Piano, but I can't see what it looks like. The portable has nothing below keyboard level.
More information may be found in my Georgian page on my pianohistory website.