CAUT

  • 1.  O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-16-2013 11:17
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: CAUT and Chapter Programs Bulletin Board .
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    We had a great time touring the O.S. Kelly Foundry this morning. A great big thank you to Ray Stacey of O.S. Kelly for organizing our tour. 
     We will be organizing another tour that will include the entire process from plate casting all the way through prep and finish some time next year after the factory has undergone major renovations. 


    http://s1124.photobucket.com/user/piano2ner/library/O%20S%20Kelly%2005-16-2013
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    Douglas Atkins
    Dayton OH
    937-766-7566
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  • 2.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Posted 05-16-2013 18:20
    If there's room for more participants on your next tour, please let us know.


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    Carolyn Macneal
    Pembroke VA
    540-626-7202
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  • 3.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Posted 05-18-2013 02:43

    There's a lot of excellent coverage here of a neglected subject. Excellent photos - and I found the movies Maria had posted thought provoking. A commentary would be great! Wasn't that guy pouring molten metal in danger of flash burns? He seemed bare legged and bare armed yet nonchalantly pouring this white hot stuff as though it was milk on his breakfast cereal. One question that immediately came to mind: does Kelly cast frames/plates for Grotrian and Steinway? I thought they cast their own. I DO look forward to the next exciting episode. From the wrong side of the Pond.... Michael(UK)
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    Michael Gamble
    semi retired
    Brighton
    01273813612
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  • 4.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Posted 05-19-2013 05:48
    But the plate says "Made in New York". That foundry is in Springfield OH. How can that be? I don't believe it. ------------------------------------------- Benjamin Sloane Cincinnati OH 513-257-8480 -------------------------------------------
    Original Message


  • 5.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Posted 05-19-2013 13:17
    Benjamin,

    I looked for that pic what you said it does, both in Douglas Aktins' "Photoboth pics" and in Maria Pollock's "Google pics" 

    I cannot find a pic where it says, "Made in New York".

    Will you please provide a specific link where it says what you say it does?

    Keith McGavern, RPT
    Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    tune-repair@allegiance.tv
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    Original Message:
    Sent: 05-19-2013 05:48
    From: Benjamin Sloane
    ...  the plate says "Made in New York". That foundry is in Springfield OH. How can that be? I don't believe it. ...


  • 6.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Posted 05-19-2013 15:41
    The made in New York, would pertain to the Steinway Piano, which is made in New York.
    Lots of plates have the piano makers name on them, but I doubt they made their own plates

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    John M. Ross
    Ross Piano Service
    Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
    jrpiano@bellaliant.net


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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-20-2013 15:23
    Ben,

     You better believe it or my cousin Armando " Two Fingers Testosterone" will be paying you a visit. He's the guy who makes people swim with the fishes. Seriously, the plates are cast, finished and drilled in Springfield and then trucked to Queens for the final assembly. That would qualify Steinway & Sons pianos to be Made in New York. O.S. Kelly also casts the plates for Hamburg Steinway's. 

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    Douglas Atkins
    Dayton OH
    937-766-7566
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    Original Message


  • 8.  O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-19-2013 13:25
    Original Message: Sent: 05-19-2013 05:48 From: Benjamin Sloane ... the plate says "Made in New York". That foundry is in Springfield OH. How can that be? I don't believe it. .. I think the reference is to the piano being made in New York. Ed Foote RPT http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html


  • 9.  RE:O.S. Kelly Foundry Tour

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-20-2013 15:29




    Hello to all my.ptg.org friends,

     We toured the O.S. Kelly foundry in Springfield, OH last week and
    watched them cast piano plates. All of Steinway and Sons piano plates
    are cast here along with Grotrian and C. Walter pianos. The foundry
    only cast plates in the wee hours of the morning due to energy
    restrictions put in place by the local power company. So as a result
    our tour started at 5 am. It was quite an experience watching all the
    preparation and hard work that goes into manufacturing these things.
    At one point somewhere in the middle of the tour, I commented to our
    guide that our group were the only people in the factory smiling. This
    is not a pleasant place to work, yet it is the highest paying job in
    Springfield. It is very loud, filthy and hot. I sure am glad to work
    on the finished product!


     Steinway and Sons stopped casting their own plates in Queens, N.Y.
    around 1937 due to the negative impact it was having on the local
    environment. Steinway had been using both of the piano plate foundries
    in Springfield until 1985 when the Wickam foundry went out of
    business, that left only O.S. Kelly.
     In 2001 Steinway purchased O.S. Kelly as a means of self
    preservation. Kelly was the only remaining foundry in the U.S. casting
    plates for pianos and if something bad happened to Kelly then Steinway
    would be out of the piano making business.

    We had a great time touring the O.S. Kelly Foundry last week. A
    great big thank you to Ray Stacey of O.S. Kelly for organizing our
    tour.
     We will be organizing another tour that will include the entire
    process from plate casting all the way through prep and finish some
    time next year after the factory has undergone major renovations. If
    you want to join in the fun and filth let me know.

    Here's a new link for some photo's and video. The pics with an arrow in
    the middle are short videos. This link is updated from my previous link.

    http://s1124.photobucket.com/user/piano2ner/story/15947

    Peace be with you,

    Doug Atkins