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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Rob Goodale</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For:<FONT face="Times New Roman" =
size=5>Great
Pileney Street <FONT face=Arial size=2>read</FONT> Great Pulteney
Street</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>it's between Beak Street and Brewer =
Street, running
parallel to Bridle Lane which is parallel to James Street which is one =
side of
Golden Square, London W1. How's that for a fast fix? The tuning pins =
will be
"Oblong" in cross-section, not oval. They were hammered that way. The =
action is
a very simple one which uses an inclined plane for let-off. There will =
(should
be) a board about 1/4" thick at a slight angle which covers the top of =
the keys
next to the wood-framed action. The covered strings are copper wound. =
Shame
about the pin-block. Later pianos by Broadwood still used the oblong =
section
pins but they had engineering threads and the plate was drilled and =
tapped. In
your little bicorda the case-work resembles more a Harpsichord than a =
grand
piano. It probably has a "fish-tail" end. The case will be veneered with =
rosewood and the dampers will have to be screwed out of their blocks - =
the wires
being threaded at that end. The centre pins will actually be just one =
long
centre pin held in place by a brass comb affair and many screws. The =
legs screw
on to the underside and the thread on them was cut by a "Holtzapfell =
Lathe"
Contact a member of the Ornamental Wood Turners Association for more =
details
about that. One last thing.... You will find that the craftsmen who =
built your
Bicorda will have stamped their names on bits of it. Look out for =
members of the
Dove family. There may well be an oblong green label on the soundboard =
to advise
you of certain things to do with tuning and maintaining this beastie. =
Well done!
It is not far removed from the Fortepianos of its time. I once had an =
1873
fishtail bicorda and an 1827 (predating the death of Schubert) Broadwood =
Square
piano. Yes, the nameboard label is quite something special.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kind regards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael G (UK) near Glyndebourne,
Sussex</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>