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In 2009 we were hired to detail and apply the finish on this special Steinway Model "D"

This is a brand new Steinway concert grand that was hand painted by local Haida artist Jay Simeon.
We were hired to detail the paintings and put a finish over the art work. It took us 5 weeks of full time labour to finish our part of the job.
The paint is acrylic made form ground argillite, a stone found exclusively in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.
It has officially been added to the Steinway art case collection designated by Steinway & Sons.



 

sound board-pinblock before.JPG (45769 bytes) View of the pin block and sound board with the plate out of the piano. This pin block has to be replaced.
Rod removal of pin block.JPG (18597 bytes) Removal of a Steinway pin block using specially designed router cuter.
pin block drilling.JPG (31845 bytes)

Drilling the pin block with an overhead variable speed drill.
Pin block drli close up.JPG (16085 bytes) Close up of a pin block being drilled.
Rod rocking with pin block.JPG (25450 bytes) Pin block ready for drilling. Rod should get a real guitar.
View of a finished Steinway pin block

 

NEXT 10 PICTURES BELOW DEMONSTRATES REPAIR AND SHIMMING OF THE OLD SOUND BOARD. 

IT IS NOT ADVISABLE ON OLDER PIANOS WITH CRACKED OR FLAT SOUND BOARDS TO SHIM THE BOARDS. IT IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO REPLACE THE BOARD, BECAUSE IT WILL RENDER LONGER LIFE TO THE INSTRUMENT.

 

Sound to replace.JPG (48594 bytes) Mason and Hamlin sound board. This board has too many cracks and no crown, therefore it needs to be replaced. 
sound dirty and restorable.JPG (41693 bytes)  This Steinway sound board was very dirty however it was very restorable.
Sound board scraping.JPG (23397 bytes) Scraping off the old finish.  
Sound B Go Bars.JPG (45730 bytes) We glue our shims in with spring loaded go bars.
Sound Board shiming.JPG (35189 bytes) Close up photo of gluing the shims.
Sound board scraped.JPG (21579 bytes) Further sound board scraping with pin block already installed. Two cracks were shimmed and the bridges are now being rebuilt.
Sound board with shims.JPG (43878 bytes) Spruce shims are now fit for gluing. This sound board has too many cracks. We would rather replace the board, but upon customer request we shimmed it The piano has an amazingly good tone. 
sounb b ready to spray.JPG (22919 bytes) This is the above sound board with the shims glued in, planed and sanded.  
spraying soundboard.JPG (18498 bytes) Spraying the sound board.
sound sprayed with decal.JPG (36267 bytes) Sprayed sound board with a Steinway decal applied.

 

NEXT 13 PICTURES BELOW DEMONSTRATES REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE NEW SOUND BOARD IN A 1899 HEINTZMAN GRAND

 

sound board removal.JPG (44523 bytes) Removal of the sound board from a Heintzman grand.
sond board removed.JPG (41344 bytes) Sound board removed from a Heintzman grand.
View of the old board and the piano
07 SB dry fitting .JPG (22391 bytes) Manufactured sound board panel with ribs is kept in the hot box. This view shows how the board is dry fitted
Down bearing has to be set correctly. Down bearing is the height of the bridges in relationship to hitch pins and agraffe's. 
Down bearing has been established and the board is removed from the piano
Bridges are now hand plained  to the correct down bearing height.
Bridges are removed from the board and drilled precisely  for bridge pin installation. This is accomplished with an overhead drill press
Drilled bridges are ready for careful notching by hand
Laser guided positioning
 
Notching and bridge pin installation is done outside of the piano 
Completed bridges are then  permanently installed on the board outside the instrument.
Back of the board is sprayed before installation. Upper side of the board is sprayed once installed.
The sound board is glued permanently in to the rim of the case.
Soundboard with new finish
Finished Heintzman with  a new soundboard
Heintzman with a new soundboard
Finished Heintzman
New soundboard in a Chickering
New board Chickering underside
1907 Steinway new board and pinblock

Model "A"

Same Steinway "A" as above
Same Steinway "A" as above
Mason & Risch taking old soundboard out
Soundboard is out
 
New soundboard is in a Mason & Risch
New soundboard
 
Mason & Risch new board
Strung Mason & Risch
New Bridges for Mason & Risch
Steinway grand in waiting.JPG (44901 bytes) Pianos in progress and waiting for further work
Plates 3 unfinished.JPG (37815 bytes) Plates to be refinished. They are sanded and primed.  
Plate sprayed.JPG (47881 bytes) Sprayed plate
Repainted lettering
Heintzman restrung1.JPG (53241 bytes) View of a restored Everett grand piano.
Restored Steinway
Restored Knabe
shop rod plates.JPG (27755 bytes) Partial shop picture.
Action keys bef and after.JPG (50008 bytes) This picture shows how the keys can be cleaned.
Old set of upright keys that need to be replaced do to very wide spaces between keys
New keys
New key frame
Installed in a D.W. Karn
Sharps clamping.JPG (19438 bytes) Gluing on sharps
Disassembled grand piano action
Drilling new hammers
Gluing on new hammers
Rod in 1991 pre voicing new hammers
Rod in 1988  Rough "Bench" Regulating
Action dissasembled.JPG (43632 bytes) Figuring out the geometry for the new action parts.
Action hammers up.JPG (38201 bytes) Restored action for a Steinway concert grand  We always install  Renner action parts manufactured in Germany
Key frame with new felts
Preparing to install white key tops
Action assembled.JPG (35449 bytes) Another photo of the new action parts.
Hardware to polish.JPG (54806 bytes) Polished brass hardware for a Steinway concert grand. 
Herley applying stain.JPG (37310 bytes) Applying the stain to a Mahogany  Heintzman grand.
Herley stained.JPG (39368 bytes) Stained mahogany  Gerhard Heintzman ready for the finish to be applied.
Steinway just stained ready for lacquer
 Finished cabinet
Mason & Risch with plate installed
Mason & Risch out of the spray booth
herley close up leg.JPG (31455 bytes) Refinished Walnut legs for a Gerhard Heintzman.
Copy of herley piano sprayed.JPG (40108 bytes) Refinished Walnut Gerhard Heintzman.
Broadwood grand stripped and sanded ready for the stain
Broadwood with new soundboard
Broadwood finished
   
Eileen at work.JPG (33864 bytes) Eileen Verhnjak at work.
Rod at work.JPG (30367 bytes) Rod Verhnjak, looks like he is searching for something inside the piano. I know he likes fishing, but in the piano?
silk cord yam.JPG (32386 bytes) Yamaha uprights have a silk cords attached to the springs on the butts. In about fifteen years (depending on the climate circumstances) they disintegrate and must be replaced. Just about all dealers that sell used import Yamahas do not replace silk cords. Without silk cords the action will not work properly.
silk cord dissasembled yam.JPG (35487 bytes) In order to replace silk cords one must remove the butts with flanges and the whippens. . This job requires approximately 10 hours.
chickering artist legs.JPG (26405 bytes) Art case Chickering legs showing the difference between striped and non stripped legs. These legs are 100 years old.
chickering legs stained.JPG (44567 bytes) Striped sanded and stained
Chich fancy leg.JPG (29844 bytes) Leg installed just before staining will commence. 
Cabinet is now stained ready for lacquer.
Piano is finished.
sprayleg.jpg (60030 bytes) Inside  the spray booth
.New legs for a rebuilt Hamburg Steinway "B"
Steinway forming the trimm.JPG (24580 bytes) Forming 14 feet of  custom made rosewood  moulding.
Steinway rosewood  with clamps.JPG (68497 bytes) Gluing and clamping the moulding to the rim.
Steinway rosewood simond.JPG (32693 bytes) Steinway 1885 rosewood refinished. The moulding around the rim was applied to this piano
Steinway rosewood moving.JPG (27820 bytes) Steinway on its way home.
Bridge split.JPG (32184 bytes) View of a very badly split bass bridge. This bridge must be replaced.
Replaced bass bridge on a Gerhard Heintzman
New bass bridge ready for new bridge pins
Pin block plate antyfreeze.JPG (26122 bytes) Beware of wet like water marks around the tuning pins. This is a sure sign that the "pin doping" had been done by some technician.  This type of treatment is done in order to swell up the wood and tighten the tuning pins. However it does not last long and also destroys the pin block.
Pin block with antyfreeze.JPG (19257 bytes) Plate removed (see above photo). It clearly shows a permanently damaged pin block that needs replacement.
Fred moving pianos.JPG (24361 bytes) Movers hard at work.
Steinway L leg off.JPG (15806 bytes) Ouch. I am to be moved.
Swens piano move1.JPG (54854 bytes) Our movers can overcome all challenges.
Knabe being delivered
Swens piano move2.JPG (22019 bytes) U. F. O. ?
Rod key repair class.JPG (24742 bytes) Rod lecturing how to replace used ivory key tops.
All new action parts on a 1890's Steinway
Upright action finished.JPG (35509 bytes) Rebuilt Heintzman upright action.
Heintz grand unique.JPG (39645 bytes) Beautiful Heintzman grand in the rebuilding stage
Stripped and sanded
Finished ready to be shipped

BELOW ARE PICTURES OF A SOUND BOARD INSTALLATION FOR  A 1898  9' STEINWAY & SONS GRAND PIANO

 

 

 

 

 


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