CAUT

  • 1.  case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 07:23

    Hi all,

     

    Next door at the Koger Center, we have a 30 year old Steinway D that gets moved around quite a bit.  I has to go through a fairly narrow double doorway with about an inch space on each side.  Last week, some students or staff workers pushed it and scraped the side rubbing off some finish and replacing it with door paint.

    I am not versed in refinishing at all and wonder what I might be able to do without getting into a refinishing expense.

     

    I would love to get some of your ideas.

     

    Thanks

    Paul

     



  • 2.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 08:42
    Hi Paul

    If it doesn't have to look professional, you can remove the paint with water and wet and dry sandpaper. Then you can use a black magic marker, (or a black lacquer stick, if you have one), and touch up the area where the black finish was scraped off. 

    To prevent more damage, does the piano have a cover? Even a thin mackintosh cover will protect the edge of the lid. I've also heard of a thin rubber strip nailed or glued to the edge. 

    Wim





  • 3.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 09:05

    Sometimes the paint transfer can be rubbed off with steel wool if the old paint is still underneath.  You can use water with the steel wool, or fine sandpaper.  If the paint is scraped off, and the area is small, you can use a traditional lacquer stick with a hot knife to fill in the area, then sand it flush.  If the area is larger than maybe a quarter, you'll have to color it with black paint or marker.  If you use lacquer paint from a spray can, the old finish will swell up after you spray the area and it won't look even.  But better than bare wood.  I would use a black sanding sealer over bare wood first.  If the damage is on the edge of a lid, or some other surface that's small, it won't be so prominent.  But if the damage is on a larger area, spot repairs are going to show.  When I used to work for the Steinway dealer, I tried touching up the C&A pianos that would always have damage everywhere.  But I never really had much luck making it look better than just a patch job. 



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    Paul McCloud, RPT
    Accutone Piano Service
    www.AccutonePianoService.com
    pavadasa@gmail.com
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  • 4.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 11:08

    The operative words are, "I am not versed in refinishing at all".  Make a deal with a finish repair person (there are people who do this).  Switch jobs - have him tune the piano while your repair the finish.  

    If you are tasked with finding a repair person for the ding, call a local piano dealer and ask him who they use for touchup.



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    William Truitt RPT
    Bridgewater NH
    (603) 744-2277
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  • 5.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 12:51

    I got a can of black lacquer (automotive supply is a source) and would regularly go around the department making small touchups with a small artist brush wherever white wood was showing. It wasn't practical to keep any piano immaculate, and this served the purpose for decades, keeping pianos looking reasonably professional.

    For the doorway issue you describe, I installed bumpers just below the level of the lid, a couple short lengths of 2 x 4 covered with carpet.  Since the doorframes were steel, I drilled and tapped for machine screws to attach. I suppose I could have used an adhesive, but I knew this would stay put and it did.



    ------------------------------
    Fred Sturm
    University of New Mexico
    fssturm@unm.edu
    http://fredsturm.net
    http://www.artoftuning.com
    "We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda
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  • 6.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 13:00

    Thanks all for your responses.

     

    Unfortunately, this is our premier concert instrument at the Koger Center.  Refinishing the whole thing would be a huge cost as you all know.

     

    I'm not sure, but refinishing must be about $2500/foot these days.

     

    This also includes a second D that we borrow from our local Steinway dealer as well with similar damage. We had several 2 piano events last week to end the semester.  Apparantly, uneducated students or stage crew just shoved pianos from the stage to the large rehearsal room a few times, and the camera monitor was out of service, so we don't know who did it!

     

     






  • 7.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-27-2023 15:02

    The side or the lid!



    ------------------------------
    Larry Messerly, RPT
    Bringing Harmony to Homes
    www.lacrossepianotuning.com
    ljmesserly@gmail.com
    928-899-7292
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  • 8.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-29-2023 00:17

    You might consider yourself lucky.
    A nice Baldwin I rebuilt for a local university was completely thrashed within 6 months by the staff ramming it into door frames and shoving food service carts into it during lunches.  They had damaged a leg before I was even able to inspect it after delivery. After their diligent work you couldn't tell that we had refinished it.



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    Blaine Hebert RPT
    Duarte CA
    (626) 795-5170
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  • 9.  RE: case damage on Steinway D

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-30-2023 20:12
    Had a VERY similar situation at Texas Tech. There was probably about 1 1/2 inches on each side. BOTH recital hall pianos kept getting damaged. Long story short-we (meaning I of course...after getting plans from our Theatre expert) installed some nice indoor/outdoor carpet on both sides of the door openings. When the doors to backstage were closed for recitals/rehearsals the carpet was not visible (although it obviously was "bulging out" in the back...but still not an issue at all). When the doors were opened, the carpet was then "taught" against the door frames on each side protecting the pianos as they were pushed through. WITH COVERS ON of course. Damage went to pretty much ZERO. 
    This is harder to picture and explain but it was very simple. 
    I went the "extra mile" and installed some decent oak moldings to cover the edges of the carpet. Also, this was only about a 2 to 3 ft area...not all the way from the floor to the tops of the doors. (It could even be only about a 12" area to protect the piano lids but we felt it wise to make it a nice large area). 
    Agree with advice already given about touching up what you can-but until other protection is in place...history will repeat itself. 
    (We also installed padded railings against the walls back-stage where the pianos were stored.) Hope this helps. It's a nice "summer project".