repurposing some Piano parts

[Warren Lake]

Friend just lost his father and asked me about anything they could make from his piano for diff family members to remember him. He said a piece of wood say to hang keys? or I did type in to the net and saw some use inside parts. Not sure if the keys make sense or. His father was a pretty unique man and did lots to help people.

Anyone done this and have some ideas.


thanks,

[Doug Garson]

Haven't done it but often wondered if the keys would make good Jenga blocks. Might make for a new tradition for old and young to play Jenga with dad's old piano keys at family gatherings. You could make a box from some of the wood to store the blocks. If there's a piano stool it would make a great platform to play on.

[John K Jordan]

Friend just lost his father and asked me about anything they could make from his piano for diff family members to remember him. ...

Once in Italy I found a little shop deep in the center of Venice where the owner made hundreds of things from "found" materials. I was especially fascinated by the little people he made from piano parts. I don't think I took a picture of the one I bought but I could if you are interested. Very cleverly made.

This is a picture of his shop window.

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Oh, I just found a photo of one of the figures that was in his window. The legs and arms can be positioned.

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We spent quite a while "talking", a challenge since neither of us spoke a common language. I gave him some of the little finger tops I always carry with me and he got all excited and wanted to show me his lathe. He went in the back room and came out with a Dewalt electric drill which he clamped to the workbench. The tailstock was a nail in a block of wood. Tools were sharpened screwdrivers.

JKJ

[Warren Lake]

thanks Doug, John I was there as well think in 83 for a day. Girlfriends parents bought me a Swiss Army knife it was my birthday. Still have it, not the girlfriend.

Interesting the second photo.

[Jim Tobias]

Warren,
I made a pair of boxes from parts and pieces off of an very old Fox grand piano for a former player of mine. The piano had belonged to his Great Grandmother and was no longer repairable so he decided to have something made from it for his 2 aunts. I came up with the best idea I could and used some of the Brazilian Rosewood veneered pieces along with ebony keys and abalone trim pieces. Also used some of the decorative trim pieces along the bottom edge of the boxes.
Turned out satisfactory but it's tougher to design something when you're trying to "force" certain materials into the piece. Pictures were just quick shots in my shop....lighting, etc is poor. Drawing was a sketch of my "pre" make using the ebony and abalone.
Jim

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[John K Jordan]

Warren,
I made a pair of boxes from parts and pieces off of an very old Fox grand piano for a former player of mine. …

This makes me think of making a music box from some of the wood. Warren, do you have an recordings of him playing? These days you can put audio on a tiny digital device - imagine a music box with a clip of him playing! Otherwise, one with a selection from some piece that he liked or was representative of a style he enjoyed.

You could even go all out and use some of the wood to make a music box shaped like a miniature piano, I have intentions of doing that myself making a miniature copy of my Baldwin grand piano. Maybe 35 years ago I bought an extended-play music box movement from the SF Music Box Co for this - just need to do it before I get too old for the shop!

JKJ

[Warren Lake]

Jim dont see brazillian rosewood too often these days. One old guy had some veneer left when he sold his shop.

DIdnt think to ask him if his father was ever recorded but will ask. Im not sure if he was hinting at me doing something for him or just for ideas. Id sent him some screen saves and will pass on your ideas. Ill think about it as well as I pass two pianos each time I walk out of the house. They are about two feet apart and facing each other, one was my parents. That one is teak and will match MCM furniture.

[Mel Fulks]

Worked in an antique shop that had an old broken up piano that was treasured. It was made of Santo Domingo mahogany that was veneered
with Brazilian rosewood. We used both for repairing stuff. Could never use the carcass without wondering what the heck happened to that
fine piano. Guy who bought the piano new didn’t want to pay for delivery, so he tied it onto the top of his station-wagon ….and somehow
it fell off ? That’s my best guess.

[Mel Fulks]

Well. That post I just made was my 8,000 th ! Doorbell rang and and there are 3 go-go dancers in my living room !! Keith must have
sent them on behalf of the Creek !!!. Thanks Guys!!

Oops, they had wrong address.

[Warren Lake]

hope they were wearing masks :)

[Bill Dufour]

Be careful about ivory. Do not get caught on the wrong side of the law.
Bill D.

[Mike Soaper]

glue the keys together in the shape of an elephant tusk?

[Tom M King]

If the keys are Ivory, I'd be interested in buying a couple, if they're close to the right size that we need. We have a 1934 Steinway M, with a couple of chipped key edges.

[Dwayne Watt]

I have seen some interesting shelving units made from repurposed piano cases. The best ones were made from grand piano case frames. Smaller piano frames can be sliced to reduce the depth and used as wall hung curio cabinet/shelves. Larger ones can be free standing floor units for books or other dust collector items that sit on shelves.

[Alex Zeller]

My father bought an upright player piano with the thought that he could fix it up. It sat for decades and when he passed I had to get it out of the basement. My step brother helped me dismantle it. He took the soundboard and mounted on a wall in his basement so when they had parties people could run their hands across the strings and make noise. The wood was some sort of cheap stuff with a black vinyl covering but the inside had wide sheets of burl veneer that didn't take too much work to peal off and save.

[John K Jordan]

...He took the soundboard and mounted on a wall in his basement so when they had parties people could run their hands across the strings and make noise. ...

He must have saved the cast iron frame, the pin block, and the thin soundboard. Wold be quite a heavy wall hanging! Another interesting thing with such a thing is the resonance from it. I have a grand piano and kids can get their faces very close to the strings. I hold down the sustain pedal and have them sing a note or even scream into the piano. The resonance of the nodes of many individual strings creates a wonderful "echo"!

I also had an old player piano I carried from our family home in PA to TN. The mechanism didn't work so I spent months to rebuild the mechanism, all the bellows, new hammers, new bass strings, felts, etc. (I had a piano technician friend advise and help with restringing.) The mechanical/vacuum technology in those old machines is amazing. We used that piano for years, passed it around a while, and it ended up at my oldest son's place in SC. We have boxes of paper rolls for it, some new, some 100 years old, all play well. Good fun!

JKJ

[Wade Lippman]

I also had an old player piano I carried from our family home in PA to TN. The mechanism didn't work so I spent months to rebuild the mechanism, all the bellows, new hammers, new bass strings, felts, etc. (I had a piano technician friend advise and help with restringing.) The mechanical/vacuum technology in those old machines is amazing. We used that piano for years, passed it around a while, and it ended up at my oldest son's place in SC. We have boxes of paper rolls for it, some new, some 100 years old, all play well. Good fun!

JKJ

When I bought my house there was a player piano in the basement. The seller explained how it was vital to keep the dehumidifier running next to it. When I couldn't sell it in a year, the harp went to a boat mooring. The music rolls fetched a couple hundred though.

[Ernie Miller]

You could even go all out and use some of the wood to make a music box shaped like a miniature piano, I have intentions of doing that myself making a miniature copy of my Baldwin grand piano. Maybe 35 years ago I bought an extended-play music box movement from the SF Music Box Co for this - just need to do it before I get too old for the shop!

JKJ

I did exactly that - a music box shaped like a Steinway grand. Great project, but very time consuming. The music plays when you push down on the keys, and stops when you lift your fingers off the keys.

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[John K Jordan]

Incredible craftsmanship!

This is the movement I have, a Reuge 72 note:

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I understand Reuge no longer sells these except as complete music boxes (apparently for rich people!). I think I paid close to $500 for it at the time but the best price I see today is $1700 on ebay. Zounds. I am unworthy.
This one has Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

[Warren Lake]

Ernie is that the apartment size grand piano?

Excellent work you did there, I sent it to my friend but likely should not have :)