Mulbach Grand

[Paul Chick (Earthlink)]

Hello, List
Does any one know how to get the plate out of a Mulbach Grand? It was built
in Saint Petersburg, Russia, I'm guessing about 1880's. How do I get the
stretcher out to pull the plate and replace the pinblock?  I can get a knife
through the joint on the bass end, but the rest is a mystery.
Previous redoers did some remarkable work keeping the paino playable, for
example, this is the first time I've seen a whole set of hammers reshaped
then wrapped with leather.  The sound is much like a Baldwin with good
power, sustain, and projection but not crashy or uncontrollable; bridges and
soundboard are in very good shape with tight bridge pins, good crown and
only one small crack that runs under the plate.  It's an overstrung scale
with 29 notes in the bass; agraffes throughout that are nickel plated. I've
never seen this style of action.  It is very clean with no insect damage
showing, very little wear on action felts and key pin bushings, but dampers
and guide rail bushings are a sorry sight.  I think I can get some digital
pictures if there is some interest.
The pin block is open, so, plugging and refacing it may be the best option.
Anyone work on one that can shed some light on the problem?

Paul C