[pianotech] dismantling old pianos

[Larry Fisher RPT]

Hi Marshall

I’ve dismantled lots of old pianos.  After removing all I can by using a screwdriver in a conventional manner (removing screws not as a chisel or pry bar) I move the piano outside to a clear area.  Using an estimated 20 or 30 pound long handled maul I take three swings at it.  These three swings have to occur in fairly rapid succession.  The first swing is delivered in a horizontal plane and makes contact just above the keybed on the inside of the side panel, the next swing is delivered in the opposite direction on the other side.  Then, before the now vacated strung back hits the ground, I deliver a good stoutly whack directly downward in the middle of the keybed.  This lays the entire piano on the ground in four major pieces.  The strung back can now be cut with a sawzall into more manageable pieces.  This is how I’ve removed old uprights from houses that have been modified after the piano was forgotten about ........  usually in a basement.  The last one I did this to had documentation in the closing papers stating that the piano had to be removed before the new owners would take possession of the house.  I can usually turn an old upright into fire and salvage fodder in about two hours.  It’s not worth the time considering the salvage rates for iron, brass, and firewood but some people think mowing the lawn doesn’t have any value either.  I see it as a chore I do as a part of my profession  ......  kind of like shoveling out the dairy barn every day  .............   back before milking parlors.  We ARE talking about milking a piano for all it’s worth here right??  
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