1932 Steinway brown????

[Tom M King]

We have a 1932 Steinway M that I'm starting to work on. I need to replace a couple of pieces of veneer. Broken leftover pieces that came off of it were identified as Cuban Mahogany. I have some Cuban Mahogany veneer to replace those parts with, but have never done this kind of finish before.

I think it's just what they called "Brown". It's a mostly opaque, thick finish that polishes to a high gloss. The wood grain can just barely be seen through it.

I have enough of the veneer to do a bunch of test pieces, but if anyone has any idea or guesses from experience, I will appreciate the advice.

Waiting for a picture to go from my phone to computer.

The piano is otherwise a pretty remarkable example. We bought it from the original owner in the early 1980s that had to move into a nursing home. It's always lived in ideal controlled environments. Her husband was an architect and gave it to her for a wedding present. There is no damage to any of the ebony or real ivory keys, and no sign of any crack in the soundboard even.

We don't play. Our Son does, but he has other pianos and keyboards. This one hasn't been used any other than keeping it in tune for several decades.

[Tom M King]

This is before any polishing or cleaning.

[roger wiegand]

Here's a lot of information about Steinway's finishing process. As you'll see, there are a lot of variables and different processes depending on the exact wood and piano model. A good match may well require a highly experienced refinisher. Most folks don't try repairing the finishes on pianos that old, but rather go for a strip and refinish on the whole piano instead. Sneaking up on the desired color with a range of redder and greener toner coats over a lighter dye that comes close might be your best bet.

https://pianotuner.org.uk/wp-content...19/05/chp7.pdf

[Mel Fulks]

Cuban mahogany , that’s the really hard to get stuff. Everybody wanted a piece of it. Real grab -fest . . . then it was gone ! I bought a nice one inch plus piece about 1970. Had a note on it saying “ this was bought 40 years ago” . The early finishes for fine Mahogany
was usually just oil …of some kind. Then waxed often. They also mixed in plaster dust as a filler for mahogany.

[Tom M King]

Thanks Roger. I had found that, but was wondering if anyone had ever been through the process.

Cuban Mahogany veneer is not that hard to find, but I expect any "lumber" would be. I've had the pieces to redo these spots for decades but am just getting to it now because we don't use it, and need the space for another use.

I think it would really be something if carefully stripped and refinished, but I'm allergic to Mahogany and don't want to get into that. I do plan to repair the finish and polish it.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Frank Hennessy, a piano expert in our town, explained to me that faux painting was part of Steinways process. Mr. Hennessy told about visiting Steinway and seeing Mahogany pianos starting out the finishing process by being painted beige.

[John TenEyck]

This is before any polishing or cleaning.

This is a mahogany table I refinished.




Of course the grain is not filled, as it would be on your piano, but the point here is that you can get nearly any color you want, including very dark ones. I used SW's BAC wiping stain. I started with a stock color, but had them doctor it at least twice, and then added more dye on my own until I finally got color and opacity right. Grain filler, dye, stain, toners, glazes, may all play into getting it right. Any documentation of how Steinway finished it would of course be very helpful, but I'll bet it can be done regardless. A good eye, patience, persistence, and really good notes on the samples you make will get you there.

John

[Tom M King]

Thanks John. Notes are a good idea. It's been a long time since I tried to match anything, but it's coming back to me now. It's far from my favorite thing to do, but my Wife is pretty good at it. She's not one for making notes though, so I'm glad you mentioned that. At least the parts that need it aren't a part of another surface, but the whole ends of those parts you see in the picture where the veneer is missing. The rest of it is in pretty remarkable shape.

[John TenEyck]

The type of mahogany you use is likely irrelevant as long as the grain structure is similar. It's going to be colored so dark that the base color won't matter other than it will impact the choice of dyes, etc. that you use. But since you have no starting recipe, it doesn't matter.

John

[Tom M King]

I have some old leftover pieces of Honduran Mahogany veneer that we plan to use for the first test samples before trying it on the Cuban. We're going to try the many leftover various stains we already have before ordering anything else.

[Tom M King]

Here is a picture of it with the Sun shining on it, so you can see it's not like a layer of paint. This might be the first time the Sun has ever shined on it. In the house it came from first, and in our house, it was always protected from the Sun. Sorry that I didn't bother to turn the picture upright for here, but it should serve this purpose.

[John TenEyck]

That looks like dye or stain will get you there w/o too much difficulty. I'd be looking at dye first. It's surprising how matte the finish looks. I would have expected high gloss. Maybe it's just the angle you took the photo at?

That color is light enough that the underlying color of the wood is going to effect the outcome. You can practice on something else, but definitely make samples on the same veneer you intend to use because I suspect you will have to adjust it.

John

[Tom M King]

I think it's just a layer of dust clinging to it. It's had old cotton quilts covering it for 30 years. It's gloss where it's been cleaned to see.

[Keith Pitman]

It might be useful to contact Steinway to see if they have suggestions. A vintage Steinway is bound to have significant value and restoring it would only enhance the value, especially if done in a value-sensitive manner.

[Tom M King]

I've studied on it some. As it is, it's value is only as a carcass to rebuild and is worth about 6k as it sits. New this size is around 70. Restored with a well built action it will be worth around 30. Steinway doesn't rebuild actions, but just puts a whole new action in. These days there a composite actions sold that play the same as the wood and felt actions, but last longer and are more consistent. I'm thinking about rebuilding the action myself and putting everything new in it, including strings. All the parts will cost about 6k.

My Wife justs wants to sell it because we have another use for the space it's been taking up, but after looking into it I really want to rebuild the action myself with the carbon fiber parts.