junking pianos

[Tom Servinsky]

Terry,
We had a Henry Miller come into our shop with a non-repairable cracked plate
last summer and the owner was extremely attached to the piece and was
reluctant to remove it from their life.
My partner, Craig Clarke, stepped in and offered to convert the small grand
into an incredible table. He did a superb job and ended up with truly
magnificent piece when finished.
The plate and piano parts were removed and he cut a concave sitting area
where the keys used to be and then lined the whole inner facing with
beautiful mahogany drawers. The customer was also attached to the ivories
being used in one way or another so he routed a section for the all the keys
which were inlaid in the top section, then covered with them with a deep
epoxy resin.
The soundboard was made into an intricate filing and storage area for
envelopes, papers,etc.
For those throwing junk pianos away, consider the options. Even thought the
piano end is ruined, consider the furniture possibilities. Ultimate computer
desks ( old player pianos were great), novelty desks, etc. could be the next
trending conversion. You never know when something like this just might
catch the fancy with a client attached to Granny's old pianer.
Just a thought.
Tom Servinsky,RPT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 9:19 AM
Subject: Re: junking pianos


> Sounds like fun. BUT:
>
> > If you can knock the bridge off, small chunks of maple
> > come in handy for certain repairs.
>
> Just watch that puppy if you push it through you table saw - wear glasses
> and say good bye to your blade!
>
> I like the idea about:
>
> > Teenage and twenty-something kids who do
> > industrial/experimental music...
>
> What a hoot!
>
> Terry Farrell
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dave Nereson" <dnereson@dimensional.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 8:20 AM
> Subject: junking pianos
>
>
> >     Doesn't happen often, but I have fun when I have to (get to) junk a
> > piano.  I save all the wood screws, which are higher quality than the
ones
> > made nowdays.  I made a hobby workbench out of one old upright and
donated
> > player piano bellows, manifold, and other parts to an artist friend who
> used
> > them for sculptures.  Recycled the plate at a scrap metal yard.  Kept
the
> > trapwork, pedals, pedal rods (dowels), casters, hinges, knobs, other
> > hardware, soaked the ivories and sharps off and kept them for
> replacements,
> > gave the keys to a neighbor who has a woodburning stove.  I've knocked
the
> > leads out of keys and used them for weighting lightweight cars on my
model
> > railroad.... pulled keypins out if in good condition to use for odd
> > replacements.... made a pinblock supporting jack out of the keyblocks
and
> > some nuts and threaded rod.... used the top lids and certain kinds of
> > fallboards from uprights for shelves in the shop.  Made 2 action models
> for
> > use at chapter meetings to teach regulating.  Have used old hammer butt
> > assemblies on the jigs for the technical exam (hammer filing, broken
shank
> > replacement).... made a partial keyframe with several keys for the key
> > rebushing part of the exam.  The case I knocked apart with a sledge
> hammer,
> > saved any wood usable for shelves, jigs, other projects....if you have
> room,
> > you might save the bottom board, if it's not split, for a piano that
needs
> > one in the future.  If you can knock the bridge off, small chunks of
maple
> > come in handy for certain repairs.  Teenage and twenty-something kids
who
> do
> > industrial/experimental music will gladly take the strung back to bang,
> > pluck, drum and otherwise create cool semi-musical noises on.
> >     Just yesterday, a local hotel THREW OUT a baby grand.  It was a
small
> > Hamilton, and was in the roll-away dumpster being used by a
> > construction/remodeling crew.   Some musician friends rescued it.
> > Soundboard OK, pinblock OK, had to dig to find the legs and pedal lyre,
> top
> > lid was missing, and it was quite dirty, but heck -- free piano for
> > struggling musicians.             --Dave Nereson, RPT, Denver
> >
> >
>