This is a big step toward my 100lbs piano project. If this carbon fiber frame can support the tension of the strings everything else will work out fine.
Wardenske Pianos
@wardenske
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I’m a long time adopter of forgotten careers. In a time that most think is the decline of acoustic pianos, I’m building a new piano manufacture.
New hammer butt springs for this Everett console. The old ones were crumbling away and the hammers weren’t returning. Sometimes when the customer says, “I have some sticking keys” it’s something easy. Sometimes it’s 88 springs to replace and regulate.
Just about finished with the Christman. The new damper bushings are in and will need some sizing as the dampers are fitted back in the piano.
This old Christman grand is getting a pretty good overhaul. The damper bushings were worn and hard. Each keystroke the wobbling can be felt though the key. The clogged up bass strings are getting replaced by some bright new ones as well.
A good piano player is adaptable, but the small details, like buffing these capstans, can turn an acceptable performance into incredible performance. No amount of adaptability can overcome broken parts like split flanges.
Making a string pattern to replace bass strings reminds me of cheesy detective shows. Part of the process involves rubbing a pencil over the string to copy the shapes onto paper. It’s just like the “what did they write in this notebook” scenes
The ultralight piano is still in-progress. Today I separated the two mold halves. It took two hours because everything was lightly adhered to each other. Some cleanup and then I can cast the carbon fiber.
Had an interesting piano repair today. The note had problems repeating and the jack was obviously sluggish. Usually this is humidity swelling the wood or a broken jack spring. The culprit this time was a tiny bit of rough wood on the side of the jack where the center pin goes. The small bit of red shows that it was tearing at the felt bushing causing the jam.
The engine is in the car. My advice to anyone working on an air cooled VW is to get a manual specific to only your model. I used a generic one covering all models and had to disassemble most of the motor 3 times because I did things out of order.
