Hacking the Gibson

A story of music and photography

[franspiano-blog]

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Piano Bookshelf. 

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This is what's going to happen if I don't get my piano all fixed up.

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Got my new piano strings from Mapes today.  Gorgeous!

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Macro shot of the wood grain on my pedal steel

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The wood grain on the end of my pedal steel

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Macro shot of the rasp I've been using to shape the pinblock

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Pinblock, old and new.  The good news is that I have enough wood to make 2 pinblocks, if I screw something up on the first.

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Since the pinblock arrived yesterday, I feel like I should write a few words about where I ordered it from.  I chose Central Michigan Pianos for a few reasons.  First of all, they offer pinblocks that are identical replacements for what came in my piano.  They offer 1 5/8" thick pinblocks with 5-ply construction, which is really what I was looking for.

There is also something nice about knowing where your materials come from and knowing that they are from the US.  A lot of the tools and minor parts I have purchased so far have come from China or elsewhere and are of questionable quality.  But I did not want to go cheap on the pinblock.  The piano I am working on is nearly 100 years old, and the pinblock, more than any other part of this piano, is what people will be asking about 100 years from now.  "Does it stay in tune?" is the first question everyone wants answered.

So how good is the pinblock I ordered?  Well, it sure is pretty, but I won't be able to answer that until I get it strung.  And the real test will be in 100 years.  And this is all, of course, assuming I don't screw the whole thing up.

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FedEx delivers

The pinblock arrived today.  My road isn't on any maps, but FedEx did their best with google to locate it.  Taped to the box were several pieces of paper, including a map of downtown Norwich, a real estate listing for a neighbor's condo (with photos), and several hand written notes describing where they thought my road might be and to "put this on Wally's truck."  Thank you Wally and everyone else at FedEx.  

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I'm over here, FedEx!

So I got told today by the company that shipped my new pinblock that FedEx couldn't find my address on a map.  I don't really understand that because my road has been around for 5 years, and while it isn't currently on any maps, FedEx has delivered packages to me in the past.  I gave them a general idea of where my road is and they will try to deliver it tomorrow.

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Refinishing the piano.  Look!  It's glossy!

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I noticed the block of wood which supports the rest of the piano had some splits in it.  The two main tongue-and-groove glue joints had separated by a little which was causing things to be off elsewhere.  This is the sort of damage you would expect to see from someone trying to move a piano without taking enough weight off the legs.  So I decided to glue it and clamp it.  

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Lots of work is being done on the piano lately.  I'm ordering lots of parts and tools this week.  I bought a band saw and a drill press.  I'm ordering the pinblock blank soon and I'm in contact with a company to duplicate the copper-wound bass strings.  I've also started doing some experiments with refinishing the wood that have gone well.  I'm using Behlen Qualarenu to basically dissolve the old finish and reform it into something smooth and polished.  After that, I plan to put some additional coats of lacquer.  The areas I have tested have come out looking shiny and polished.  The difference will be amazing!  Pictures soon.

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Overview of the piano after removing the plate

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Pinblock and soundboard after removing the plate

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Piano pinblock after removing the plate

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Q: How many software engineers does it take to move a cast iron piano plate?

A: Three

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Thirty-three screws later, the piano plate is ready to be removed.  One-hundred years of rust made this a difficult task.  At this point my hands are covered in a mixture of rust and blisters, but tomorrow should be the day that I finally get the piano's plate removed.