Restoration of a Steinway A for the Skinner family
39) 
40) 
39) Fitting the skin of the now properly dried board to the rim of the
piano.
40) After transferring the index marks (made into the rim before removing the old
board) to the new board, the two boards are matched together using the same index marks
and all holes and bridge index placement marks are transferred over to the new board.
41) 
42) 
41) The new board is almost done. Now saw kerfs are placed around the edge of
the board angled to parallel the kerfs occurring in the ribs to be glued on later.
These kerf marks guide me in removing wood from the edges of the board. This is
called Diaphramizing the board and is supposed to make it vibrate more freely.
42) As a money saving step the original bridge is being used with simple
restoration. There are some tiny surface cracks in this bridge in a few rare places.
However, there is no doubt that it will serve fine for another fifty years at
least. So, the string marks are removed with sandpaper backed with a piece of glass.
This keeps the surface of the bridge exactly flat and removes the string marks as
well. Then the bridge pin holes are drilled out for the next pin size up and finally
the notches are restated with a razor sharp chisel. The sanding of the top of the
bridge moves the termination point of the string to far forward which is ideal because it
gives me a place for my chisel to bite when restating the notches. When done, the
bridge is a few thousandths shorter than original but is in about as good a condition as
it was when new. In fact, it might be better because the bridge pins holding the
strings this time around are more solid being one size larger. They should be able
to transmit the vibrations of the strings even better than their predecessors.
43) 
44) 
45) 
43) Gluing the ribs to the sound board using my sound board press.
The new ribs were all drilled for index marks that passed into the rim of the piano.
Then the index holes were filled with bridge pins sharp side up. The newly fitted
sound board panel was placed over the pins in the correct orientation and pressed down
onto them to make indentations in the underside of the board. These indentations are
used as guides to locate the ribs at the press.
44) Due to the design of my press, it is practically impossible to clean up glue
squeeze out while the board is in the press. That squeeze out is cleaned off with a
chisel now and any stains from the hide glue are sanded away.
45) Now the ribs are being planed so that their finished profile matches those of
the original board.
46) 
47) 
48) 
46) Gluing the treble bridge to the board in the press. Doing this
job here, in the press, ensures that I impart crown to the board via the treble bridge as
well as the ribs. In fact, the treble bridge is the most important rib in the sound
board.
47) Gluing the bass bridge to the sound board.
48) The board is all glued up and ready for finish.
49) 
50) 
51) 
49) Repainting the under side of the case. After the board is glued
in, it would be very difficult to do this job neatly. Now is the time.
50) Setting up all the clamps and cauls in preparation for gluing the board in.
This first run is done just to make sure everything is ready and can be assembled
quickly once the board comes out of the drier.
51) The new sound board clamped into place. I use only hide glue for the
assembly and installation of sound boards and bridges.
52) 
53) 
54) 
52) The completed board is in place. There is still more work to
do, the clamping cauls do roughen the lacquer a bit and that must be smoothed out and
repaired. Also, the bridges are yet to be pinned and the plate mounting system
installed.
53) Setting up the down bearing.
54) Gluing the pin block into place. The plate is used to locate the pin
block. The clamps have built in cushions which makes it unnecessary to use
additional protection to keep from damaging the wood with the clamps.
55) 
56) 
57) 
55) Doweling the pin block into the case.
56) Ready to lacquer!
57) A coat of primer called "Claw Lock" is used to help the black lacquer
to adhere better to the wood.
58) 
59) 
60) 
58) The black lacquer is in place and ready to rub out after it dries for
a month or so.
59) After the piano was strung and the dampers installed, (sorry we didn't get
pictures taken) it was found that the damper underlevers were knocking. At the
beginning, the knocking was thought to be coming from problems with the hammers. Now
we know better. The damper underlevers were pulled and repined so they won't knock
any longer.
60) The finished piano.
61) 
62) 
61) Inside.
62) Another finished product shot. The finished results on this piano were
spectacular. This points up the value of installing a new physically crowned sound
board. I venture to say that the power and sustain in this new sound board is better
than what was in the piano when it was new right from Steinway!!
