1932 Steinway brown????

[roger wiegand]

As a sometime piano and organ rebuilder I've seen many substitutions of modern space age materials for the traditional wood, leather, and felt over the years. They have almost invariably failed, and frequently make it way harder for the next guy, as removal of the latest space-age goop so you can rebuild a piece adds many "happy" hours to the project. You really learn that hot hide glue is your friend after rebuilding a few instruments!

I'm not saying there is no role for modern materials, just a warning to test extensively. It would require incredible care in design to start swapping carbon fiber for wood and maintain the tone and feel. I'd very much want to play an identical instrument on which such a restoration had been done to see whether or not it works. In a new piano, designed from the ground up with those parts, I'm sure it's possible to build a good instrument. As a retrofit I'd withhold judgement.

Rebuilding a piano can be a fun and rewarding, if tedious project (you get to do a lot of things 88 times). There are parts that are going to present a serious learning curve. Having a skilled and patient mentor will help a lot. Recrowning a soundboard and fitting bridges is not best learned by watching youtube, nor is the voicing of new hammers. (I still regard both of those things as being beyond my current knowledge/skills)

The traditional materials will give you an instrument good for another 50+ years of use; to me that seems pretty reasonable. Just because Steinway can't profitably rebuild an old action doesn't mean that you can't, the economics are different.

[Tom M King]

Some will always cking to traditional materials. Steinway usage Renner actions and bought the company in 2019.

The company making the composite components is owned by mason & Hamlin. Their new pianos use these HMG components

I’ve done what reading on piano technician forums there are. There were some design issues with these space age components in the early stages around 2012, but have been solved by now. The main problem was trying to use Teflon bushings in wood parts. As they have gone away from those wooden parts, those issues have gone away.

There are good choices both with wooden parts and felt gaskets, and space age parts. I have done my research and chose space age. Some buyers will prefer one over the other. I’m not worried about that one way or the other. A grand action can be just slid out of the piano and exchanged with another one.

I asked here about staining those small pieces of veneer. I don’t care to get opinions on one type of action over the other.

[Tom M King]

We only had a couple of bottles of transtint dye. I ordered the dark kit and primary kit of 2 oz. Bottles from Homestead to experiment with to start with.

Word has gotten out that we will have this piano for sale and already have had some inquiries just all by word of mouth.

Comparing some veneer pieces I have, it looks closer to Brazilian Rosewood than to Cuban Mahogany. The Cuban Mahogany doesn't have the dark color variations in it like the Brazilan Rosewood veneer and the piano have. I forget who I had look at the little pieces of veneer that were falling of those ear places, so nothing much to favor that diagnosis. We don't remember the lady we bought it from saying anything about what type of wood. I'll call Steinway next week to see if they know anything according to the serial number.

This finish on it is too thick to be able to tell much about the pore structure. What may look like pores in that picture is really just surface crazing in the finish and dust on the surface. We haven't touched it other than taking the old cotton quilts off of it.

[Tom M King]

If anyone is interested about the carbon fiber action parts, and not just take Roger's view that they are simply bad, here are a few videos. One of these by the company that sells the parts made me decide right off that I could do a better job. I won't be using sandpaper discs on die grinders or heat guns to twist carbon fiber shafts.

I have no desire to discuss anything about the differences between actions here, so this is just in case anyone is curious. One of my scientist friends sent me these, as well as others but these will give you an idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7SGhb5qrEI&t=568s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BRvtUGDHJ8&t=105s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvHq-xFNbm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjPD8Tbvu6c

[roger wiegand]

If anyone is interested about the carbon fiber action parts, and not just take Roger's view that they are simply bad,

I most assuredly did not say that. I said to test them in your application to be sure that they function appropriately in a piano not designed for them.

[Tom M King]

Playing around with this piano finish this morning, whatever is on it is pretty soft. It has very small crazing all over it. It will polish out to a high gloss, but is very easy to burn and curdle the surface with automotive polishes. Also, my variable speed buffers are trigger control without speed knobs, so they make it too easy to put too much heat into the surface.

So far, I'm only working with the inside of a leg, where any goofs won't show too much. I'm tempted to buy a Rupes high end buffer, but also just tempted to clean it up and sell it like it is. We can tune it and clean it up with not too many hours required, but my to-do list is just way to long to put this ahead of everything else I have to do.

We have some type of piano cleaner and polish in one, that does pretty good, but it's hard to get a consistant shine over a whole area with it.

The wood looks great after polishing. If anyone has worked with whatever this type of 92 year old piano finish is, and has some ideas, they would be appreciated.

[Mel Fulks]

The best bowed string instruments have always had soft finishes. I’m guessing that goes for old pianos, but not for ‘modern ones’.