Restoration page 1

We carry out restorations on Grands and Uprights, from soundboard repairs, replacement wrest planks, to action overhauls.
The Piano Action
Piano's action contains many felts, leathers, baizes & chords that can wear away or become damaged by poor environment. If the action has been used a lot over the years then there will be many felts & leathers which might need replacing. High quality felt/baize is made from wool and to very high standards. They are expensive to buy due to their quality but will last a very long time. A small number of the replacement felts are pre-cut, the majority have to be measured and cut too get the right thickness and size. Remember that this has to be done 88 times for each type!

 

 
Hammers are the prime area of the action as these hit the string to produce the sound. When assessing old hammers we look to see if the hammer has grooves in the felt, due to use.This needs to be sanded away. A smooth flat surface will produce a better quality of tone. The shape of the hammer is important, like the top of an egg and not thicker underneath than the top.Re-facing is the term used when sanding hammers and can be accomplished either on the action, if there is not much work needed, or removed and done in a vice if a lot of felt is to be removed to achieve a satisfactory result,t but if there is not much felt left on the hammer, replacement of the hammer head is needed. Other reasons for replacing the hammers are if the original hammer felt is too hard or soft, i.e. not producing the right tone required .Toning, by needling the felt, can sometimes soften the tone of a piano but if the hammers are of poor quality or the felt is damaged then toning will not work.High humidity can ruin a set of hammers as when the felt dries out, the felt is very hard and will produce a harsh tone. Hammers are bought in sets and are available in many shapes and quality. Upright hammers are very different to grand. Finding the right set for a piano is difficult and for the technician to get right! Quality depends on the customer's wallet!
Dampers are very important as they dampen the strings so the pianist can hear the notes they are playing and not the notes they played before that! Bad dampers can ruin a piece of music. The note should dampen when the key is released. Resonance is another area to this as it is sometimes confused with bad dampers. Resonance is the sound resonating around the soundboard even when the strings have been muted well,. this is design and is more apparent on bigger pianos with bigger soundboards. Dampers which need the felt replacing are removed from the action and the old felts steamed off. Dampers on under-damper upright actions have springs which aid the damper. If these springs are old and have no strength then these will need replacing.
 
There are more areas which we could cover but it could take a long time! We have not covered everything but just touched on a few common areas.