is my old piano worth restoring ?
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is my old piano worth restoring ?
I have an Ernst Kaos, panzer system upright made in 1864 or 65....it was what I learned on as a child , but each the me I've had it tuned it doesn't last very long so I think it's time to renovate it....I have no idea of the cost or who might do this (I live in Lyon in France ) so any advice is really welcome...thank you
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Barrie Heaton
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Re: is my old piano worth restoring ?
As a rule of thumb, the restoration will be more than the value of a new piano,
You are looking at three phases the case, the play mechanism, the strung back assembly.
Complete restoration, of all three depending on who does it, will cost you anything from 5,000 to £12,000 for an old upright.
As the piano is of sentimental value, I would discuss it with your piano tuner; if they don't provide that service, they may be able to recommend someone locally. Or ship it to Poland, let them do it and let your tuner finish off.
Barrie
You are looking at three phases the case, the play mechanism, the strung back assembly.
Complete restoration, of all three depending on who does it, will cost you anything from 5,000 to £12,000 for an old upright.
As the piano is of sentimental value, I would discuss it with your piano tuner; if they don't provide that service, they may be able to recommend someone locally. Or ship it to Poland, let them do it and let your tuner finish off.
Barrie
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
Re: is my old piano worth restoring ?
oh hey thanks Barrie for all that information...it's hard to know what exactly needs doing on the piano; I will ask the tuner...shipping it to Poland could be a good compromise ; do you happen to have any addresses or tips for who /what/when/how...? I would very much like to renovate it but couldn't stretch to more than a few thousand I'm afraid...lol perhaps there are some YouTube tutorials for DIY renovations !?!?? (only joking.) thanks again for your time Barrie
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Barrie Heaton
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3651
- Joined: 30 May 2003, 20:42
- Location: Lanc's
- Contact:
Re: is my old piano worth restoring ?
If you're on a limited budget and the playing mechanism is not too bad spend some money there. A chemical solution can be used for the loose tuning pins, it's not as good as restringing but it works.
The solution is a special type of superglue it's highly viscous and quite strong however you may need to give it 3 doses. The fumes are horrendous so it needs to be done in the summer so you can open all the windows to allow ventilation and whoever does it need to wear the correct protective clothing and masks. The best result the piano needs to be on its back.
Barrie
The solution is a special type of superglue it's highly viscous and quite strong however you may need to give it 3 doses. The fumes are horrendous so it needs to be done in the summer so you can open all the windows to allow ventilation and whoever does it need to wear the correct protective clothing and masks. The best result the piano needs to be on its back.
Barrie
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
Re: is my old piano worth restoring ?
hi Barrie ...I think the playing mechanism is sound...it has a good tone and feel and only one or two keys have a return problem...it's just that it goes out of tune too quickly really, so in the first instance I need to work on that ...your post has got me thinking that I could do it myself ! and maybe find someone in the know to help in summer...I could put an advert out perhaps, offering a beautiful summer holiday at my place in France in exchange for some piano and glue help ! thanks again...I'll seriously look into all the possibilities
Re: is my old piano worth restoring ?
Sorrry I'm nearly a year late in replying to this, but I wanted to just mention that it's LOW-viscosity superglue that is used for wrest planks/tuning pins. not high viscosity.
You can't get ultra-low-viscosity superglue in shops; it has to be bought online. In any case it's a job best left to the piano tuner/technician. It can be highly effective, and the technique has rescued many a wrestplank with loose tuning pins and enabled the piano to go on for many more years.
The type of piano it gets used on, is the kind that isn't a high-end piano of a famous make.
You can't get ultra-low-viscosity superglue in shops; it has to be bought online. In any case it's a job best left to the piano tuner/technician. It can be highly effective, and the technique has rescued many a wrestplank with loose tuning pins and enabled the piano to go on for many more years.
The type of piano it gets used on, is the kind that isn't a high-end piano of a famous make.