In addition to tuning I also do repairs and restoration on uprights and grands. Here are some pics of a job I just finished. All the old worn hammers were replaced with a brand new set. Very complicated job, but fun and profitable! I also get a sense of satisfaction in seeing what often times is a quite dramatic improvement in the piano, making the customers piano like new; and in some cases, even better than new! So many older pianos, such as Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Bechstein and others, have the old world, hand-made quality and character that is rarely found in todaysâ pianos.
My next grand action is in my shop awaiting hammer work, but this one is much newer and the hammers are still in good enough condition that they can be filed and reshaped to perform like new again. This process is also complicated, but the original hammers are restored instead of replaced. The cost is also much less expensive to the client.
Old sample next to new. Old hammer flattened and worn out.
Haha yeah for sure! I love my job and take pride in my work. Itâs really cool seeing it all come together and then finally sitting at the piano and playing it for the first time in its restored condition.
Thanks. Yeah I still get a bit nervous just before I start these big jobs, because you never really know exactly how it will turn out. Fortunately so far so good!
Btw, the basic process for this job is to remove 6-8 original old hammers (still attached to shank) and then ship them to the hammer maker so they can be duplicated for bore diameter, angle and pitch, then they have to taper and shape the âtailsâ of the new hammers, and get the weight, width, core and everything else as close to the originals as possible. I almost always have to âtweakâ the new hammers in some way to get them to fit properly.
While waiting for the new hammers to be made and shipped back to my shop, I prepare the action by removing every other old hammer head from the shanks; in this case the original shanks were fine and could still be used. I use special end nippers to remove the old hammer heads, being very careful not to cut or damage the shank ends. Then using a shank reducer, all the old glue residue is removed from the shank ends.
Then I use a special jig that lines up all the old hammers still intact on the action, so when each new hammer is installed, the neighboring old hammers serve as a guide. When the new ones are are fitted, and the glue has dried sufficiently, the remaining old hammers are removed and then the newly fitted hammers will serve as the guide for the rest of the new ones.
Then after all the hammers have been installed, the action is regulated so it will function smoothly and as close to the original factory specs as possible. Finally, the action is returned to the customerâs home, reinstalled in the piano, and each hammer is checked for proper alignment to the strings and adjustments are made as necessary. The final tuning is done, and after playing a few pieces to test it outâŚhopefully to the delight of the owner(s), itâs on the the next job!
Thanks for sharing Terry. Although I donât play the piano or do repairs to them. I did quite a bit of reading (Larry Fines; âThe Piano Bookâ) re: piano rebuilds when we purchased a 1907 New Scale Williams piano about 15 years ago for our children.
The unit was completely redone by our builder Roger Jolly (at the time a clinician for Baldwin pianos, he is now working with Yamaha and Samick International as a designer and clinician)
One of the interesting things that he told me about was the method used to remove or cause the old fish glues to separate from the joints in the pianos.
Care to share your secret recipie for fish glue break down solutions?
Haha I know Roger! I donât use âfishâ glue, but hot hide glue was and is still used for piano repairs and such. Itâs tricky to use, and generally you need to mix it yourself and itâs also fairly hard to remove old hide glues as well. I âstickâ with good old yellow wood glue, and pvc-e (Not the same as pvc glue) for gluing felts and buckskin. There are other âanimalâ glues such as fish, hoof and rabbit skin glues, but these are not generally used in piano repair. They are made by prolonged boiling of the connective tissuesâŚeeww!
Roger had mentioned that the best way to break down fish glue (or connective tissue adhesives) was by soaking the joint in urine. Any truth to that rumor?
Hereâs a quick look at before & after hammer filing. It will improve the tone and greatly reduce or eliminate the harsh and tinny tone that results from deeply grooved, flattened and compacted hammers.
So many older pianos, such as Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Bechstein and others, have the old world, hand-made quality and character that is rarely found in todaysâ pianos.
