<< I saw a book once from the early 1900's with plans for building your own piano. >><br><br> I have a copy of one such book. It's "Pianos: Their Construction, Tuning, and Repair," edited by Paul N. Hasluck, printed by Cassell and Company, Ltd., London. First printed 1905; reprinted thru at least 1928. I just read through it quickly once. I don't remember where they suggested getting the plate from -- it might've been a simple straight-strung piano (no overstrung bass), with metal struts instead of a full plate. <br>
What's interesting is the language and the names of some of the tools, such as a bow drill (requires no electricity, but works like a Boy Scout's bow and stick for starting fires with no matches), a hinge pusher, casting tongs, sticker hooks, toning needle, etc.<br>
<br>--David Nereson, RPT<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Feb 6, 2013 at 8:26 AM, Euphonious Thumpe <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lclgcnp@yahoo.com" target="_blank">lclgcnp@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font:inherit" valign="top"><div>Sounds "home made". I saw a book once from the early 1900's with plans for building your own piano. <br>
My guess is that it will never, no matter how much work is put into it, sound as good as a Mason.<br><br>Thumpe</div></td></tr></tbody></table> <div>
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Terry Farrell <<a href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com" target="_blank">mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com</a>>; <br>
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<<a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" target="_blank">pianotech@ptg.org</a>>; <br>
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Re: [pianotech] L.W. Foster Piano? <br>
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Tue, Feb 5, 2013 12:52:24 PM <br>
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<td style="font:inherit" valign="top">Pictures?!?!?!?!?<div><br></div><div>Terry Farrell</div><div><br><div><div>On Feb 4, 2013, at 10:48 AM, Rex Roseman wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite">
<span style="border-collapse:separate;font-family:Helvetica;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;font-size:medium"><div lang="EN-US">
<div><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Tuned a piano the other day and am trying to get some information about its history. There was no name on the piano in the usual places or methods but
it had what looked like a tuning sticker as follows:</span></font></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">L.W. Foster</span></font></div><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Piano Tuner and Maker</span></font></div><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">1915 Washington Blvd.</span></font></div><div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
<font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Chicago</span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">,<span> </span></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">IL</span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"></span></font></div>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Phone Seely 268</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">The serial number was 1558 and there was what looked like a tuning date of<span> </span></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">5-26-13</span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">.</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">It is a full upright and is straight strung with double unisons through out (with the exception of the usual low bass). None of the books that I have were of any help and I am not even sure that Foster is the maker. Any information would be welcome.</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Thank you.</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial"> </span></font></p>
<div style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial">Rex Roseman</span></font></div>
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Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12pt"> </span></font></p></div></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div></td>
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