"first" jobs was Re: Brambach grands

[Wimblees@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-08-21 17:59:59 EDT, you write:

<< I agree with your sentiments. My second rebuild job was on a Brambach. My,
 I was proud of that job. I refinished the case in open pore mahogany. I
 used spray can bronze (actually not too shabby), I tried to reglue the
 pinblock laminations, I even used pinblock restorer afterwards, I glued the
 new damper felts in the piano (that sure avoided a lot of damper fitting),
 I replaced any keybushings which were showing heavy wear, I even replaced
 all of the felt punchings (after-touch? what's that?), I adjusted the 
 jacks way back under those pear shaped knuckles so they would never 
 slip, I rubbed lots of graphite on the repetition levers and knuckles and
 wippen block felt. Does any of this bad stuff ring a bell with any of you?
 
 Eight years later the piano was junked. That was just 8 years too late. but
 what did I know? Then? I had only been tuning for about 8 years, but of 
 course, I was a slow learner, and still am.
 
 Jim Coleman, Sr.
  >>

Jim & The list 

I think it would be an adventure if we shared some of our first jobs. 

My first was a Wurlitzer grand. When I cut the pin block, it didn't fit the
flange at all. Then I laid the original pin block in place and found out why.
It only touched the plate on the ends. There was a 1/2" gap in the middle. 

My first refinishing job was an old Monarch grand It had been decopaged brown
over a white vinyl paint. The white paint covered a green enamel. The reason
it was enameled in the first place, was because the piano came out of
fraternity, and greek letters had been carved all over the place, and along
the long side, S- - -  had been carved in 12" high letters. It took me 5 times
as long as I anticipated to remove all the paint, enamel,. etc. Then I put
clear filler on the lid. (I hadn't heard about walnut filler). To get it
sanded off faster, I took my belt sander. You can guess the result. 

The customer paid me what I orginally quoted, even though I made a plea for
more.  Last month she called and wanted to buy another piano from me. (long
story). She told me that 2 years after I finished the job, the Monarch fell
off a truck in Colorado, was repaired, and is now living happily in a saloon
in Old Colorado City, Colorado Springs. 

Willem Blees RPT
St. Louis