Thread: Cleaning/protecting piano before restoration

Hi Lucy
Welcome

Is the piano an upright or a baby grand?
And how old is it?

The finish is likely to be either a sprayed on lacquer or shellac.
In either case I suggest you wipe it down with warm soapy water -- but don't get it really wet.

That should clean off the grime.
After that I'd be inclined to just leave it alone.

Thanks Ian,
It was built in the 1920s (I think) . Designed -a one off - by my husband's Grandfather (in Germany) & built to his specifications by a well-known company. It is a full grand and style is art deco (I think). The patina is a bit flaky & quite worn in places. It will be tuned tomorrow and the first person to record in the new Studios & on the piano is on his way down from Sydney (your town?) as we write......
I gave it a damp wipe a few months ago before it moved into storage. Is that all I should do again & are all the supermarket polishes out of the question?
Many thanks,
Lucy.

I suggest you leave the supermarket polishes in the supermarket.

It sounds as though the piano has great sedimental value.
Talk to the perrson who is going to tune it. The state of the instrument's woodwork shouldn't affect the piano's tonal qualities.
Can you post a few photos?

A fresh application of a silicon free wax may be sufficient OR may give you grief when it comes to the restoration

Originally Posted by ian

A fresh application of a silicon free wax may be sufficient OR may give you grief when it comes to the restoration

Thanks, Ian,
Does the above quote mean - "just leave it"?

Yes, it has huge sentimental value, so much so, I'd like to write it into a Will to stay in the family for 500 years but that might be unfair and unrealistic! Should I post photos on this site or just email them to you?

I did as you said and gave it a wipe down with mild soapy water (all over) including some of the interesting panels underneath - lots of 90-y-o black grime there! Refrained myself from the spray polish, though it was hard.........
Will get husband to talk to piano tuner tomorrow. I was careful to keep the damp away from the strings. It sounds fantastic though!
Thank-you for your help. We love timber and hubby loves building and making things but we know precious little about finishing & protecting!
Lucy.

Originally Posted by Lucy2

Thanks, Ian,
Does the above quote mean - "just leave it"?

yes, just leave it

if the tuner suggests the piano's sound quality is good enough that the instrument is worth restoring, you will likely need professional help for the restoration

please post some photos in this thread

Hi Ian,
I'll post some pix as soon as this first session is over. Will ask the tuner what he thinks re restoration, but my partner already knows that it's worth restoring - that the sound is good enough. He's been in the music industry for 35 years so his ears are pretty good. He did the music production for a film which has been nominated for an Oscar, this year.
Shall I take a picture close up of the worst part of the surface? There is also one horrible stain which I think will never come out. But isn't it bad to make something look new? I'd like to protect it but I doubt if it would ever come up looking fabulous.
Thanks for your advice & pix to follow shortly,
Lucy.

Lucy
sight unseen, but given its age, I'm guessing your piano has been veneered and then french polished.

working from that guess, the veneer has almost certainly been attached with an animal glue that will be reversible -- i.e. pieces of veneer that are lifting off or are very badly stained or badly scratched can be removed, repaired or replaced by someone who knows what they are doing.
The original colour and finish can be matched.
The final result esentially comes down to what you are prepared to pay to have fixed.

Making the piano look like new is not a bad thing.
No one would accept listening to a Stradavarous (spelling?) that didn't look like a new one.

What ever you do, don't try and sand the finish back.

One more thought you might consider. I don't know how it's been stored but be careful of any sharp changes in storage conditions. If it's been in a barn or unheated outhouse, suddenly arriving in a heated workshop or worse a humidity controlled (air conditioned) atmosphere could have unfortunate results.

Changes in humidity should be made slowly and carefully. Wood, even after 90 years, will still gain and looses moisture from the atmosphere.

Originally Posted by ian

Lucy

Making the piano look like new is not a bad thing.
No one would accept listening to a Stradavarous (spelling?) that didn't look like a new one.

Hi Ian,
Did you mean the Stradivarius Violin? I must disagree with you here. Have found this to back up my belief:

"The general rule of thumb, suggested by professional violin restorers, is to not revarnish a valuable old violin because revarnishing affects the sound quality and decreases the value of the instrument...."

There are only about 600 (know) Stradivarius violins in the world today. They are worth millions of dollars.
This is a good link:

Varnish Secrets in Violin Making

excerpt:

Much of what intrigues the eye about varnishes on old instruments is the contrast in colors, transparencies and textures resulting from aging, chipping and wear. Areas which retain varnish look brilliant and fiery. In adjacent areas where the varnish has completely chipped away, the exposed ground layer appears dull, pearly or milky. A greater illusion of depth to the varnish is created over time by dark oxidation, dirt, rosin and polish accumulating just inside the broken edges of chipped away varnish and in the crackle or tiny fissures of the aging varnish layer.
*****************
But in relation to a "young instrument' like our piano, at this stage I only want to protect it. The turner said it would be o.k. to use Marveer on it. But I still feel I need to investigate further.

Yes, You are right - the tuner said it was french polished and another person (the locksmith from the building next door) was amazed at the screws which he said are all (even the tiny ones) - hand made!

We're going to have to put any restoration on hold because the cost is way too much for us at this stage. I just need to protect it until we can restore it. - And we would never try to sand it..........
Thanks again - L.

Originally Posted by dr4g0nfly

One more thought you might consider. I don't know how it's been stored but be careful of any sharp changes in storage conditions. If it's been in a barn or unheated outhouse, suddenly arriving in a heated workshop or worse a humidity controlled (air conditioned) atmosphere could have unfortunate results.

Changes in humidity should be made slowly and carefully. Wood, even after 90 years, will still gain and looses moisture from the atmosphere.

Thanks Dr4gOnfly - That makes sense. So I'm a bit worried as it's been in a warehouse/studio for the last 8 - 10 years with no (or little) heating in winter and no cooling in summer. (I notice you're from the UK - You use both Fahrenheit & Celsius - right?) Well, we have quite a few days in summer in the 30s Celsius (and some in the 40s C) and winter as low as 1 - 5 C (av) at night. Now, the piano has moved into an air-conditioned environment straight from a very hot environment! That might explain why it went slightly out of tune the day after it was tuned (at the end of the first day of recording - though it was played really hard was the general consensus on why it went out of tune)...
Is there anything we can do to protect it from air-con? I'd have thought that air-con would be good for it because it creates an even temperate from day to day. Here in Melbourne we can have big changes of temp in the same day.
Thanks - and any advice is appreciated.
Lucy.