Pianotech

Early Steinway Project - please participate! For many years I've been documenting pianos. My early Steinway project now seeks photos and identification of Steinway square pianos. Even Steinway squares with no name in the plate casting are important to my study. Of course I continue to be interested in documenting all early Steinway pianos, especially if original or otherwise significant. But my current research area is the early Steinway square. To learn more, or to share your early Steinway piano photos and data for this study, please go to www.periodpiano.org Copy and past link into your browser if necessary. Thank you!

------------------------------
Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.
President, Shull Piano, Period Piano Center
bdshull@aol.com
www.shullpiano.com
www.periodpianocenter.org
Loma Linda, CA
909 796-4226
------------------------------

Hey Bill...

what about early Chickering and Vose Squares ?  I think I heard of a Steinway Square around here and I know of some Chickerings. During the Civil War many of the pianos in the South where destroyed by northern forces because they where a trapping of wealth in most cases.

During my Chickering research I have become very interested in the subject of plate building. This is because Chickering did not cast their own plates and had them built by Cyrus Alger Iron Works in South Boston ( aka South Boston Iron Works) and H E Perkins in Bridgewater Mass. HE Perkins still exists and the former Alger Works is a distillery.
I have yet to find paperwork showing orders between Chickering & Alger but have found a number of written references that this was the case. HE Perkins searched their records for me since they are still in business. They found a grand piano plate in the basement although it was not a Chickering plate.

I suspect Alger was used because their casting method gave 2 to 3x the strength to cast iron and their primary product was cannon and large artillery pieces.  When Chickering & Sons won top prize at the 1867 Paris Exhibit a cannon was fired off on the factory roof of the Chickering Manufactory at 791 Tremont Street

As far as I have found Chickering never had its own foundry though it seems Steinway did. Is it possible that S&S used the same casting process as Chickering/Alger/Perkins ? I guess only a good exam bya mettalurgist could tell us.

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2021 00:52
From: William Shull
Subject: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

Early Steinway Project - please participate! For many years I've been documenting pianos. My early Steinway project now seeks photos and identification of Steinway square pianos. Even Steinway squares with no name in the plate casting are important to my study. Of course I continue to be interested in documenting all early Steinway pianos, especially if original or otherwise significant. But my current research area is the early Steinway square. To learn more, or to share your early Steinway piano photos and data for this study, please go to www.periodpiano.org Copy and past link into your browser if necessary. Thank you!

------------------------------
Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.
President, Shull Piano, Period Piano Center
bdshull@aol.com
www.shullpiano.com
www.periodpianocenter.org
Loma Linda, CA
909 796-4226
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/19/2021 5:23:00 AM
From: James Kelly
Subject: RE: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

Hey Bill...

what about early Chickering and Vose Squares ?  I think I heard of a Steinway Square around here and I know of some Chickerings. During the Civil War many of the pianos in the South where destroyed by northern forces because they where a trapping of wealth in most cases.

During my Chickering research I have become very interested in the subject of plate building. This is because Chickering did not cast their own plates and had them built by Cyrus Alger Iron Works in South Boston ( aka South Boston Iron Works) and H E Perkins in Bridgewater Mass. HE Perkins still exists and the former Alger Works is a distillery.
I have yet to find paperwork showing orders between Chickering & Alger but have found a number of written references that this was the case. HE Perkins searched their records for me since they are still in business. They found a grand piano plate in the basement although it was not a Chickering plate.

I suspect Alger was used because their casting method gave 2 to 3x the strength to cast iron and their primary product was cannon and large artillery pieces.  When Chickering & Sons won top prize at the 1867 Paris Exhibit a cannon was fired off on the factory roof of the Chickering Manufactory at 791 Tremont Street

As far as I have found Chickering never had its own foundry though it seems Steinway did. Is it possible that S&S used the same casting process as Chickering/Alger/Perkins ? I guess only a good exam bya mettalurgist could tell us.

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2021 00:52
From: William Shull
Subject: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

Early Steinway Project - please participate! For many years I've been documenting pianos. My early Steinway project now seeks photos and identification of Steinway square pianos. Even Steinway squares with no name in the plate casting are important to my study. Of course I continue to be interested in documenting all early Steinway pianos, especially if original or otherwise significant. But my current research area is the early Steinway square. To learn more, or to share your early Steinway piano photos and data for this study, please go to www.periodpiano.org Copy and past link into your browser if necessary. Thank you!

------------------------------
Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.
President, Shull Piano, Period Piano Center
bdshull@aol.com
www.shullpiano.com
www.periodpianocenter.org
Loma Linda, CA
909 796-4226
------------------------------

Hi Bill, I have a Steinway square without a name on the plate. It is no. 1545.

I also have two 1840s Chickering squares. They are basically twins. The have the most magnificent ornate plates that I have ever seen.

------------------------------
Jason Leininger
Pittsburgh PA
412-874-6992
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2021 11:45
From: William Shull
Subject: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

I agree, and we have three Chickering squares In the museum and want to document all we see.

Steinway cast their own plates starting in 1872, the date they stopped making the double iron plate.  Too complex a casting for a fledgling foundry I think.  But Theodore was into making a tough plate and the magnesium content was a factor, I understand.  So for a time they called it a "steel casting.  I'd like to know who was making their plates prior to this.

I love the work you're doing to find Chickering plate casting info!  

As for Steinway squares, Tom S has claimed there are no Steinway squares without the Steinway plate cast name, but we know this isn't true.   One goal is to drum up as many examples as I can of these squares with only a hitch plate and 2 bars.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Original Message:
Sent: 6/19/2021 5:23:00 AM
From: James Kelly
Subject: RE: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

Hey Bill...

what about early Chickering and Vose Squares ?  I think I heard of a Steinway Square around here and I know of some Chickerings. During the Civil War many of the pianos in the South where destroyed by northern forces because they where a trapping of wealth in most cases.

During my Chickering research I have become very interested in the subject of plate building. This is because Chickering did not cast their own plates and had them built by Cyrus Alger Iron Works in South Boston ( aka South Boston Iron Works) and H E Perkins in Bridgewater Mass. HE Perkins still exists and the former Alger Works is a distillery.
I have yet to find paperwork showing orders between Chickering & Alger but have found a number of written references that this was the case. HE Perkins searched their records for me since they are still in business. They found a grand piano plate in the basement although it was not a Chickering plate.

I suspect Alger was used because their casting method gave 2 to 3x the strength to cast iron and their primary product was cannon and large artillery pieces.  When Chickering & Sons won top prize at the 1867 Paris Exhibit a cannon was fired off on the factory roof of the Chickering Manufactory at 791 Tremont Street

As far as I have found Chickering never had its own foundry though it seems Steinway did. Is it possible that S&S used the same casting process as Chickering/Alger/Perkins ? I guess only a good exam bya mettalurgist could tell us.

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2021 00:52
From: William Shull
Subject: Finding Early Steinway Square Pianos

Early Steinway Project - please participate! For many years I've been documenting pianos. My early Steinway project now seeks photos and identification of Steinway square pianos. Even Steinway squares with no name in the plate casting are important to my study. Of course I continue to be interested in documenting all early Steinway pianos, especially if original or otherwise significant. But my current research area is the early Steinway square. To learn more, or to share your early Steinway piano photos and data for this study, please go to www.periodpiano.org Copy and past link into your browser if necessary. Thank you!

------------------------------
Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.
President, Shull Piano, Period Piano Center
bdshull@aol.com
www.shullpiano.com
www.periodpianocenter.org
Loma Linda, CA
909 796-4226
------------------------------