Paul, Until I saw the pictures, I thought you might be referring to scrapes on the long side of the piano. Eew! That's a big chunk! I was actually going to answer your question about spray lacquer and say that I've done some things with a spray lacquer can that didn't turn out too badly, including a whole set of bedroom furniture - really, you'd be surprised it was done with an aerosol spray can. But you've got something there a can of spray lacquer ain't going to fix, although, it probably won't look any worse that how it looks now. And if you do pull out the spray can, it'll all get straightened out at the real refinishing. I'd be a lot more worried about stringing condition, capo and agraffes on this piano. Its pretty ugly, that's for sure. Here's what I might try: Put it on stage, ugly as it is, but in the best musical condition you can render it. New strings, AGRAFFES, action as best as it can be. Be sure the dean and university president are invited to every major recital and concert. Maybe they'll show up for one. Surely you have a "friends of the music school/department" type support group. Put it up there for all to see. SOMEBODY will eiither hand you a check or help you raise the money to have the piano refinished. Some thoughts, Jeff Tanner --- On Wed, 5/12/10, Paul Milesi, RPT <paul at pmpiano.com> wrote: From: Paul Milesi, RPT <paul at pmpiano.com> Subject: [CAUT] Steinway D Case Repair & Refinishing (Institutional) To: "PTG CAUT List" <caut at ptg.org>, "PTG Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 3:33 PM List, As you may recall, I wrote a few months back about the possibility of our music department finally claiming possession of a 1970 Steinway D which has been in the Chapel on our campus, and moving it to the Recital Hall within the Department of Music. Approval for a move to our Recital Hall has just been granted! The piano was a bequest to the School of Music in 1970 from the former head of piano studies. The piano was new at the time it was received, and was placed in the Chapel because there was no recital hall at that time. This piano will, hopefully, become our main "recital piano," replacing a 15-year-old Yamaha C5. The D has new hammers, shanks and flanges one year ago (original reps). Key bushings were replaced. Needs full regulation and voicing, pulley keys fixed, and other things. For years this D has been stored in a narrow alcove with a metal railing on one side, and the piano is scraped along it every time it is used. (SEE ATTACHED PHTOTOS.) Don't ask me why...I don't know! This kind of treatment is incomprehensible to me. You can also see that the fallboard is not only worn, but actually scalloped from finger nails. Is there a way to "fill" those scallops, or would you recommend a new fallboard? Anyway, I'm trying desperately to save this instrument at absolute minimal cost (we barely came up with moving money). We would like the piano to be presentable in terms of visual aesthetic for recitals in our 120-seat recital hall. Estimate for refinishing the whole piano was $10-13K, and we simply don't have the money. And basically the case is OK, showing some wear, except for the gross damage you see in the photos. So here's my question: What are some reasonable options for an acceptable "fix" of this case? Should I undertake myself to fill with putty, mask it off, and spray with a can of lacquer? I say this somewhat jokingly, but also know if I did that very carefully, the damage would at least be less obvious--like a racing stripe, perhaps. ;) It will be hard to make it worse, I think, unless I spread paint or putty on good parts of the case finish. I've seen spray paint repair done on some institutional pianos in hotels, schools and churches, but have always detested that "masking" approach. Perhaps now I'll be forced to adopt it myself? :( Seriously, what should I do? We'd like to get this done this summer, while I work on the action and lyre. I'm pretty ignorant of what would need to be done here, wood-wise, other than to somehow "fill" the gouge and then veneer and refinish, blending with current finish? I don't know...is "blending" the finish even possible? Please help me out with your takes on this. Remember: I have minimal woodworking experience. :) One other consideration: The piano must be moved up 3 flights of stairs -- at considerable expense -- to the Recital Hall, as there is no elevator that will accommodate it. I just thought before moving it up there, perhaps it should go to somebody's shop to have the face fixed, saving another in-and-out move at a later date. The one piano refinisher I know gave me the above quotes, and thought anything less would not be doable, that it's quite a mess. I don't know anybody else to do it, although I have a couple inquiries out. How do I accomplish an acceptable intermediate solution over the summer without making a worse mess? Can this work be done, now or later, while the piano is on the Recital Hall stage? Sorry, I got rather long-winded. Paul Milesi -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100513/2de4c239/attachment-0001.htm>
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