1865 Boardman & Gray Square grand piano

[John Ross]

Vanderhoofven wrote:
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> I recently inspected a 1865 Boardman & Gray Square Grand Piano Serial
> Number 8350.  It is smaller than all the other square grand pianos I have
> seen.  The rosewood case is in good shape.  It has 77 notes, the lowest 15
> single wound strings are wrapped, the rest of the strings are plain steel
> bichords, all strings are intact.  The plate is full perimeter, probably
> cast iron.  In addition to the plate, there is a metal rim running all the
> way around the top of the wooden rim of the case.  The tuning sounded very
> wild, and it is unknown when the piano was last tuned.  Tuning pins are
> quite a bit loose.  The pinblock is completely hidden under the plate and
> at the back of the action cavity, so inspection was not possible, but I
> suspect either a crack or that the pinblock has deteriorated.
> 
> The white keytops are ivory, with the edge sticking out rounded like a half
> circle.  Where you would usually find key fronts, there is just the wood of
> the key.  The action is a very simple type, with no repetition lever or
> repetition spring.  The hammers are pretty worn, and the top octave or so
> has been previously covered with leather, but now the leather is worn
> through.  The action is not playing very well, and some notes are not
> working.  I believe that a few hours of lubricating parts and regulation
> will make the piano playable, which is the goal in mind for the owners.
> Restoration is not out of the question if necessary, but is not the primary
> intention here.  However, the tuning will most likely not hold as the
> tuning pins are loose, so that problems needs solved also.
> 
> Now some questions:
> 
> 1.  Where is the closest technician to Joplin, Missouri, who does skilled
> accurate restorations of pianos of this vintage?  I am not afraid to tackle
> this job, but I really would prefer to refer to a qualified person with
> verifiable references.  I don't know anyone within a hundred miles who does
> this kind of work any better than I would, and I am certainly no expert.
> 
> 2.  Is this piano anything to get excited about?  Is it a museum piece, or
> is it particularly valuable?  Or are there a bunch of these pianos out there?
> 
> 3.  Would anyone care to write about the procedure for handling a
> historically accurate restoration like this?  I am thinking that it would
> be good to take a lot of photographs, and measurements, and possibly to
> even make drawings of the design.  Then to save anything I remove from the
> piano.  What else would be different from a normal rebuilding?
> 
> 4.  Where would I find a company that will be able to put new felt on the
> existing hammer shanks?  The shanks are all in good shape, but the felt is
> worn away.
> 
> 5.  Without disassembling the piano I can't tell what condition the
> pinblock is in, but I think it is shot.  The budget here is medium sized,
> but probably wouldn't cover a new pinblock.  Would it be okay to do a
> repair of the pinblock by filling up the pinblock with EpoTek Epoxy,
> redrilling the holes and reinstalling the original tuning pins?  Would CA
> treatment of the pinblock be valid in this situation or something to avoid?
> 
> 6.  I have heard that older pianos used low tension wire with a different
> carbon content. It is possible that these are the original wires.  If so,
> where would I find low tension wire suitable for restringing?
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> David Vanderhoofven
David,
I have a 1996 catalogue from H.J. Fletcher & Newman Ltd.,
                             Unit 10A, Ellis Way
                             Dartford Trade Park
                             Dartford, Kent, DA1 1JX
                             U.K.
They indicate that they recover hammers.   
Uprights cost 110 Pounds
Grands   cost 120 Pounds
I hope this is of some help.
Regards,
John M. Ross
PTG Assoc.
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada