Restoring old uprights

[Stephen Airy]

Question -- what do you guys think of restoring Ricca
& Son pianos?  I have one and i was wondering if you
guys know if it was a good brand, or a junkie or what
was it?  My piano needs some action work and new
strings & tuning pins.  I think the pinblock is fine
-- has 2/0 pins and the pins are fairy uniformly
slightly loose -- probably would use 4/0.  I don't
know if the soundboard is cracked or not and the bass
bridge is somewhat cracked.

--- Newton Hunt <nhunt@optonline.net> wrote:
> Hi Charles,
> 
> You ask a lot of good questions, I will try to
> answer some of them with my
> thoughts.
> 
> > "Can you replace a pin block in an old
> >  upright with(out) completely tearing the back
> apart?"
> 
> Yes you can, but, is the piano worth the time and
> energy?  Some old uprights
> were magnificent instruments, better than what is
> affordable today, but some
> were the cheap stuff like you can buy now.  The old
> ones like Steinways, Masons,
> Bush & Lane, and many others were first class
> pianos.  Many of the others like
> Gulbrensen, as an example, were cheap then and are
> worthless today.
> 
> So, a piano needs to be carefully appraised as to
> the original quality and what
> you are likely to get out of it when your work is
> done.  Doing a few pianos will
> give you the information you need to make rational
> decisions, so, go to it.
> 
> Now, technically, it can be done.  One is to drill a
> large hole into the block
> and replace the removed material with pin block
> plugs and redrill.  Great care
> needs to be taken to assure that the plugs are well
> and truly glued into place
> and that they will never (nearly) rotate.
> 
> Old blocks can be "revived" by dribbling CA glue
> down the pins, let set, tune,
> reglue as needed.  This is a good solution but the
> worst of the lot, except for
> using pin block "tighteners", a real no-no by any
> standard.
> 
> The third way is to remove the plate, route out
> sections of the old block and
> replace with new material.  This assumes the old
> material is mechanically solid
> and well secured.  Replace the plate and redrill.
> 
> > 2) In the method with the maple or pinblock
> material plugs, that requires
> > taking the plate off, right? Otherwise I can't see
> how you'd get the plug
> > in. Might be a silly question.
> 
> No, unless it is one of the ones that do not have
> plate bushings.  The plate can
> be removed, the holes drilled out then plate
> replaced and redrilled.  Removing
> an upright plate is not as difficult as in a grand,
> most of the time, so not
> removing one is rather more of a bother.
> 
> > " Is he talking about replacing the
> > pinblock, or filling and re-drilling the holes?
> 
> No, drilling out the holes with the plate in place
> minus the plate bushings. 
> New bushings and redrilling the new plugs.  Plugs
> made from new pinblock
> material is the way to go.  There is no other
> material that is useful in this
> situation.  Not epoxy, fiberglass, talcum powder,
> etc.
> 
> > 4) Roy said that sometimes oversized pins don't
> work to his satisfaction. In
> > those cases, what is the problem? Can that problem
> be determined ahead of
> > time, or is it trial and error?
> 
> Larger pins act like larger windlasses.  A large pin
> will pull more wire per
> turn than a smaller pin.  Old blocks often should be
> plugged or replaced instead
> of being repinned.  Larger pins are very often a
> compromise and sometimes the
> swing is the wrong way.  Knowing wood, construction,
> pins, feel of old and new,
> testing before committing, knowing quality of
> product and a lot of other
> decisions can help determine the better path.  There
> are so many clues to
> quality in the action, case, engineering and other
> places that can help. 
> Ultimately doing it right helps more than trying to
> determine what hides behind
> a plate.
> 
> > 5) Regarding using oversized pins on an old
> upright: Is that just a way to
> > get the job done in a reasonable and affordable
> way for the customer, or is
> > it something you would do if money weren't an
> issue? 
> 
> In two words, yes, no.
> 
> > On the one hand, the pinblock on an old
> > upright is well protected from the elements
> 
> Only to a limited degree.  Quality of materials,
> glue, construction and
> engineering count for far more.  Some climates can
> destroy any piano and others
> are benign.  Knowing some of the history is helpful
> but knowing quality and the
> materials help more.
> 
> > and by using larger pins you might just be
> > delaying or not dealing with a problem (like
> cracks).
> 
> Most exactly so, no argument, no discussion, no
> debate.
> 
> > Can someone jump in
> > and offer more opinions?
> 
> No, mine is the only one that counts.  :)  Now if
> you belief that I know of a
> bridge in Brooklyn...
> 
> Have a great Sunday all.
> 
> 		Newton


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