Completely off-topic epoxy question ;-)

PaulMcClure · Post by **PaulMcClure** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:04 am

I thought I'd ask this here, since these boards are obviously populated with people who like tinkering with stuff!

I just bought an old upright piano. It dates from about 1890 and doesn't look like it has been played much judging by the action, although the casework could do with refurbishment. The problem is that some of the tuning pins are a bit loose and it won't come up to concert pitch. The pin holes for the loose pins in the pinboard have ovaled a bit and I noticed a slight crack between a couple of holes.

My question is, given that folk here like to tinker and are well up to speed with epoxy, has anyone attempted to repair an old pinboard with epoxy and if so, how did you do it and did the repair work?

A lot of tuners advocate completely replacing the pinboard, but that's a big job and would cost much more than the piano is worth. I just like the idea of effecting a sucessful bodge!

Brent · Post by **Brent** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:36 am

Hi Paul, Not knowing the extent of the cracks or the ovals, here is my suggestion. IF and only IF you are going to replace it anyway I would try the repair first. I think it has a great chance of working but the difference in materials could screw up the tuning.

You might look up a piano repair forum and ask. I have done a little tuning but no repairs (yet).

Good luck and happy bodging!

Brent

TimeWalker · Post by **TimeWalker** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:38 am

Well I'm assuming the board doesn't have a part in the notage... IE it just holds the pins which hold the wire then yes you could use thickened epoxy to reduce or eliminate the hole and then redrill

and I'll bet you that a piano from the 1800's has more value then you relise (unless it was a junker in the 1800's call an antique dealer

PaulMcClure · Post by **PaulMcClure** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 12:02 pm

I bought it from an antique dealer for £100 (170USD). Having said that he said he knew nothing about pianos so you never know.

I've not been able to find anything about the maker either so looks like it was made by a wholesaler and badged with the name of a dealer somewhere. It has the potential to be nice though - it's got veneered mahogany casework, which although worse for wear in some places might restore nicely. I still doubt if it would be worth anything substantial after a restoration.

I bought it for my young kids to play with, so I didn't want to buy something good and get it coverd in crayon

It will tune, but only to a maj 3rd down from concert. Not a problem at this stage, the kids are far too young to care, but I'd like to get something which will tune to concert in the future. Maybe I'll just let them play with it for a year or so before buying a decent one, then get this in the workshop for a full strip and restoration. Even if it's worth nothing, if I do a nice job I'll be happy!

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 12:11 pm

Sometimes old pianos are just old pianos. One of the minor disappointments in my life came from watching the Antiques Roadshow on television. Most of the old furniture with no particular historical interest would cost more to replicate today than the antique is worth. In other words, being 200 years old does not add anything to the value. (For example, a nice carved, clawfoot pie table from a craftsman today would not cost less than buying the original antique, unless it was historically unique.)

I have a piano that dates from 189?, and the tuner said it is worth about the $300 I paid for it.

jat1993 · Post by **jat1993** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 1:18 pm

It's amazing what things you start considering fixing with epoxy once you start working with it! I have replaced my Swiss army knife in the past because the plastic handle fell off. Well just recently, my new Swiss army knife had its handle fall off. I put a little glop of epoxy slurry on it and stuck it back together. I don't think it will fall off again for a long time.

It will spoil you.

Jackhigh · Post by **Jackhigh** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 8:32 pm

Does it float ?

PaulMcClure · Post by **PaulMcClure** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 9:34 am

It took four of us to get the thing in the house. My gut feeling is not likely. If it doesn't fix up I might test the thory though.

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 11:02 am

Jackhigh wrote:Does it float ?

I'm not sure about Paul's old piano, but mine would certainly not float any better than that C12 with the missing transom. It might make a good, but short-lived artificial reef, though.

st · Post by st » Fri Nov 28, 2003 5:12 am

Paul, for some bizarre reason I thought about your piano last night. Anyway lets start off by saying I know nothing about pianos although I have seen one, but I wouldn’t know a pin board if you slugged me on the head with one, (well maybe I would).

If the pin board lays flat you should be able to make the fixes you want with the resin, you will want to use something like a dropper. Will a resin seat affect it acoustically? Maybe epoxy isn’t good for that concert tune.

Thinking a bit more we wouldn’t change the block or head or even the sump just because we stripped a thread, as you said that’s “big job and would cost much more than the …… is worth“, we’d tap a new thread, which is what you want to do. Or when the old pistons don’t fit any more after the block has been bored we just buy oversized pistons/rings.

My guess is that in the piano world your not the first to come across this problem and there may already be a solution, maybe you can buy replacement seats, something that you screw into the pin board and then insert the pins into, or oversized pins.

In summary, unless your sitting on a goldmine go for the repair.

Scott.

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