More about Piano Restoration

Strings & Wrestpins

Arguably the most important section of a piano. Most of the faults in respect of poor tone, or tuning problems, arise from old, "tired" or corroded strings, and loose or worn wrestpins, found in pianos of c.60 years of age or more. Simply cleaning the strings, won't cure age-related loss of tone quality, nor will loose wrestpins be cured by driving in, or using so-called "pin-tight" liquid used by some technicians.

Destringing a Welmar upright

Restringing an August Forster Upright

What we recommend:

The only effective remedy is the full restringing & repinning of the frame with new slightly larger wrestpins, and best quality piano wire - we use "Roslau" polished wire, and hand-spun rescaled bass strings by the Early Keyboard Agency. Before this operation, the soundboard will have been repaired & repolished, the frame usually refinished, and the frame cloths recovered in the felt colour the maker intended.

Soundboard & Frame

Both these important structural parts need to be in good shape for the piano to function properly. The frame must be free of fractures or cracks, otherwise it may not be capable of withstanding the 15-20 Tons of compression, when tuned to concert pitch. Similarly the soundboard, which is responsible for relaying the sound from the strings to our ears, will be adversly affected if it contains splits.

The soundboard of a Bechstein Model 9

Shimming the soundboard of a Bechstein Model V upright

What we recommend:

Whether the frame is safe to repair depends on where the crack actually is. For example, on (some) Bechstein grands, small fractures appear on the treble-bars alongside the wrestpins; these can be repaired by stitch-welding, and in no way would this undermine its structural integrity. As far as soundboards are concerned, we always endeavour to restore an original where possible, even if the splits/fractures are many. The reason for this is to retain the warmth and richness of tone that a modern (often multi-laminated or kiln-dried) replacement often cannot produce.

A fracture in a Bechstein model C grand frame

The same frame after stitch-welding

Wrestplank

It is often believed that loose wrestpins require replacement of this 2-inch wooden section behind the frame. In fact this is rarely necessary. Sometimes a split can appear, or the wood has dried out too much over a long period, in which case replacement may be the only answer.

Action, Keyboard & Dampers

These 3 sections, (sometimes referred to as the "Playing Mechanism") deal with the moving parts responsible for enabling the strings to be struck, and dampers to cut off the sound. It is important, therefore, that all the levers, flanges, hammers, springs, jacks and dampers etc, are not only in proper working order, but are not impeded by wear & tear that is sustained over many years of playing, and general degeneration over the years.

Recentring the hammer-flanges in an upright action

Refitting the hammers to the action-beam

What we recommend:

We usually dismantle the whole assembly to its individual parts, scrape & clean all wooden parts, replace all the worn springs, leatherwork, feltwork and recentre the flanges. Sometimes it may be necessary to recover the hammers, or to remove the old damaged ivories, and recover the keyboard with traditional grained celluloid (the nearest to real ivory). The objective is to return the playing mechanism to its former standard of performance, but each piano will have sustained differing levels of degeneration, therefore no two pianos need exactly the same level of work.

Cabinet repolishing

Most pianos' cabinets will (over their lives) have lost their original lustre and beauty of polished woodgrain. The original finish will have sustained scratches, dents, fading, cracking of polish, etc. Although primarily musical instruments, the attraction of an antique or traditional pianos is the elegance and refinement of each individual cabinet, which could be ebonised, or contain a fine veneer, such as Rosewood, Mahogany, Oak or Burr Walnut. Some may even have the benefit of an unusual design, or contain some fine inlaid marquetry.

Bechstein A Grand case stripped

Repolishing a Bechstein C Grand

What we recommend

We believe the best way of restoring these fine cabinets is to strip the old lacquer off and hand repolish in the traditional style of french-polishing in either a satin-waxed or high sheen finish. This method is the best way of returning the richness of the woodgrain to its very best, using crafts from days gone by.

Finishing touches

Once all the restoration work has been completed, the refitting of the various sections together will now be necessary. The tasks now needed include the following :

• Raise the new strings to pitch, stretching strings.
• Fit the action/keyboard/dampers to the piano.
• Level the keyboard, set depth of touch.
• Extensive regulation of action & dampers.
• Overhaul pedal assembly and adjust.
• Final tuning to concert pitch.
• Clean & polish brasswork & assemble cabinet.

The piano is now finished and will be ready for delivery !

Levelling the keyboard

Is your piano worth restoring ? Look at our Types of Upright & Types of Grand pages for more information.

Look at our general Piano Restoration page, then fill in our enquiry form or contact us.

Any Questions? Go to our Restoration FAQ.