[CAUT] Steinway D Case Repair & Refinishing (Institutional)

[Greg Granoff]

In all the talk about automotive paint, it's critical to remember that if
this beast has what's left of its original finish, it is nitro-cellulose
lacquer, and may be very unhappy (crazing/lifting) under automotive spray
paints.  The best thing to do is by some black NC lacquer from Steinway
itself, (their suppliers will send it to you) and keep it on hand for touch-
ups as well as projects like these.  That way you're assured of a good color
match, and fine blending procedures such as are being described here will
work best.  Most spray can type black finishes available at hardware and
auto parts stores are rather grey in relation to the stuff Steinway uses--
at least, that's my experience.  NC lacquer is also quite fast drying and
works very easily.

Greg Granoff
Humboldt State University

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
johnparham at piano88.com
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 7:07 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway D Case Repair & Refinishing (Institutional)

Paul,

For what it's worth, I've used bondo on gouges with good success as
well... just don't put it on too thick because it will take too long to
dry.

Automotive spray paint, by the way, dries very quickly, which is a plus
when you are dealing with a circle of refinement in disguising obvious
flaws.  No matter the finish, it will usually look darker than the
original finish when applied, so if the stage lights hit the case just
right, the contrast in shading can be very obvious.  It is worth the
time to blend the finish using 1500-4000 grit sandpaper (another common
automotive supply).

-John Parham
Hickory, NC

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Steinway D Case Repair & Refinishing
> (Institutional)
> From: Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu>
> Date: Thu, May 13, 2010 9:35 am
> To: College & University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>
> 
> 
> On May 13, 2010, at 6:44 AM, Ed Sutton wrote:
> 
> > Paul-
> >
> > You can do a very effective stage repair of the side of the case,  
> > using auto body filler from the auto supply store.
> > Don't skimp. Go through the grades of filler putty. Use all the  
> > grades of abrasive with support pads to blend it in absolutely flat.  
> > Find black primer. Try different kinds of spray black until you find  
> > the best match. Mask off at the edges so the tone change occurs  
> > unseen on the corners of the rim, and fade and blend around the  
> > tail. Practice until you find the right touch for satinizing the  
> > finish.
> >
> > Consider sending the fall board to a professional refinisher. This  
> > is what the performer sees, and with some clever touch up around the  
> > front of the case, the performer will see "new piano."
> >
> > This could be a real winner in faculty relations, as people who know  
> > nothing about pianos will respond in amazement if you make the old  
> > clunker look new on stage.
> >
> > have fun!
> >
> > Ed Sutton
> 
> 
> 	Ed gives some excellent suggestions. I think you could do somewhat  
> the same with the fallboard gouges as he suggests for the gouge on the  
> side.
> 	I touch up our instruments fairly regularly in a very low tech  
> manner. I simply use an artist brush and some black automotive  
> lacquer, and apply it carefully to every place on the piano that is  
> "white wood." I won't call this a truly professional look, but it is  
> quite passable from the audience. Sometimes a second application is  
> needed where the white wood is really white. And, in fact, you could  
> simply do this to the gouges and make an enormous difference at a very  
> small expense of time and materials. And this would not preclude  
> filling the gouges later, as body putty should stick just fine to the  
> lacquer.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> fssturm at unm.edu
> "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to  
> shape it." Brecht