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FIX IT,
RESTORE IT,
AND TUNE IT
YOURSELF !!


Also called
"Table of Contents"

You are looking at an old Emerson from the
1890s. This piano looks terrible, but it appears
to have no serious damage to the cabinet, and
no veneer is broken. If the tuning pins are tight
enough to hold a tuning, it is a great candidate
for restoration. A natural wood finish would
look great. Our customers are doing these
pianos on a regular basis.

We offer instruction in restoration and repair of
old pianos and new. Our Catalog contains every-
thing you will need to help and old lady like this
make sweet music.




 

"Beethoven wrote in three flats a lot.
That's because he moved twice."
Victor Borge

From the book Copyrighted by Steve Van Nattan
© Copyrighted by Stephen Van Nattan- 1996
HTML of site © Copyrighted by Stephen Van Nattan- 2001
All theft will be subject to prosecution
Some copying of my material will be allowed.. IF YOU...
Ask before you copy anything

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Isaiah 38:20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD. Habakkuk 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. I think it is interesting that the prophet Habakkuk invented his own stringed instruments.  The piano is merely a very large harp. Have any of you readers invented your own stringed instruments?



INTRODUCTION

This is the Table of Contents to a book for Do-it-Yourselfers.  It is uncluttered by splash and frills so that you can concentrate on getting the job done. The book tells you in plain language how to care for and repair your piano.  This Table of Contents will lead you through the book.  Also, in our Online Catalog you can order parts and tools to use in repairing your piano.

You will notice some of the buttons below are indented.  That means they are sub-headers under a major Chapter or topic.

I am available to you by E-Mail to answer questions-- Dumb questions  -  Smart questions
 "HELP" questions--
And, I try to get back to you tomorrow!  And it's FREE!
We also give you the catalog free and up front-- Online.
ENJOY.

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Toll Free Number for ordering:  1 (800) 338-8863

OR:
Go to Mail Order Form for printing:
OR:
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Email address to use to send payment:
keith@stevespianoservice.com


Ordering Customers CALL: (800) 338-8863
This dedicated number is for questions if you intend to order.



For Technical support CALL: (906) 864-1437
If you bought your parts elsewhere, kindly ask that seller for technical support

UP FRONT

TO FELLOW TUNERS:

        ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

                WARNING:  Please read this.

                        YANKEE ENGLISH Y'ALL

                                LINKS YOU MAY WANT TO SURF

                                        MOST EXPENSIVE PIANO IN THE WORLD

                                                STEINWAY SQUARE GRAND 1865

                                                       BÖSENDORFER 1892

                                                               BILL KIBBY'S PIANO HISTORY AND DATA BASE

 



TABLE OF CONTENTS:
For Online and CD Users

All of the following is on The CD, and much more!

The Catalog and Repair Contents are now much more inter-linked.

PROFESSIONAL PIANO TUNING INSTRUCTIONS
Only on the CD

NEW SECTION:
PIANO AND ORGAN MOVING INSTRUCTIONS

Chapter One- GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PIANO

Introduction:
What are my qualifications?

Music
Entropy
Requirements

Chapter Two-  THE PIE-ANNA

Introduction to Piano Care
The Piano as Furniture
Grands
Spinets
Uprights
You got ta get da polish
Keys
Keep keys white by controlling light

Chapter Three-   DO I HAVE A GOOD PIANO?

What is a good piano
Which is the best Piano?

Chapter Four-  MAINTAINING YOUR PIANO YOURSELF

1. Tuning Your Piano
2. How often should a piano be tuned?
3. When should a piano be tuned?
4. Hints to help make the tuning last through the year
5. Courtesy to your tuner
6. Adjusting the Action

7. Moving a Piano
8. Know Thy Tuner
9. Checking the Tuning
10. Free Words of Wisdom Department

Chapter Five-  GETTING TO WORK- OPENING YOUR PIANO

Opening Your Piano-- Uprights
Removing the Upright Action
Removing a Spinet "Drop Action"
Want to remove the keys?
The Grand Opening
Removing the key cover
"Front Board" (Unofficial name) Or, Key Slip
Removing the Grand action
Re-installing the action

Chapter Six-  TROUBLE SHOOTING YOUR PIANO

A. A key sticks down

B. Two keys stick together as they go up and down

C. Key lever stays Down Or, Key broke

D. Dead Hammer OR, Stalled in A Including Bridle Strap Replacement

E. Jack the Slipper OR, Hit and miss key strokes,
and double blows of the hammers

F. Limber Neck OR, Floppy Hammers

G. A Hammer broke off

H. Straighten a crooked hammer

I. Loose Tuning Pins

J. Squeak, Thump, Rattle, and Twang 


Music to rest
your mind while you shop :-)

 

Baptist
Convention

At Calvary
Amazing Grace
Are You Washed
Take the Name of Jesus
At The Cross
Banner of the Cross
Blessed Assurance
Burdens are Lifted
Bible Stands

Coming Home
Draw Me Nearer
Footsteps of Jesus
Higher Ground
Old Time Religion
Great is Thy Faithfulness
He Lives
I Must Tell Jesus
Jesus Paid it All
Just As I Am
Look and Live
Lord I'm Coming Home
Marching to Zion
There is A Fountain
Near The Cross
Hold the Fort
Nothing But the Blood
I am Resolved
Kneel at The Cross
Saved
Rock of Ages
Oh, How I Love Jesus
Shall We Gather at River?
Praise Him
Redeemed
In The Garden
Wonderful Words
Beulah Land
Sound the Battle Cry
Stand Up for Jesus
Sunlight
Once For All
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Power in the Blood
Send the Light
Rescue the Perishing
That Will Be Glory
The Comforter has Come
The Way of the Cross
More About Jesus
To God Be The Glory
Trust and Obey
When I see the Blood
Gospel Medley


Chapter Seven-  COMMON REPAIRS A LA CARTE

The following are sub-topics under Chapter Seven:

1. Aligning grand piano hammers

2. Back check repair

3. Bench Repair

4. Bench- Upholstering as an option

5. Board just under the keys in front

6. Bridge and Agraffe Repair

Bridle Strap Replacement

7. Broken wire emergency

8. Buckskin replacement

9. Buying a piano

10. Casters- Replacing and servicing

10.5 Center Pin Repair and Installation
And Flange Bushing Replacement

11. Clatter and buzz prevention

12. Cleaning the grand sound board

13. Cleaning the Upright Piano

14. Damper repair

15. Decal Application
(See also: Name Decal Application)

16. Desk repair- Spinet, Upright, and Grand

17. Dismantling or Destruction of a piano

18. Fire damage

19. French quaver voice

20. Front board warped

21. Hammer Back Rest

22. Falling out of the piano

23. Hangs up on Pedal Stick

Hammers-

24. Bending crooked hammers on uprights

25. Hammer- Broken

26. Repairing Hammers using a Brass Sleeve

27. Hammer- Broken- Replacing
Includes instruction on reattaching the
felt head of the hammer to the wood molding

28. Hammers- Grand- Alignment

29. Hammers- Voicing and Buffing

30. Harp- Broken

31. Harp- Cracked, but not broken

32. Jack- Loose and repair

33. Jack spring replacement

34. Key dip adjustment- too much or too little

35. Key leveling and Key Lever Restoration Kit Instructions

36. Key tops- White and Black Replacement
and Key Top Restoration Kit Instructions

37. Key Lever Repair

38. Key tops- ivory replacement

39. Key tops- cleaning

40. Key won't depress on Grand

41. Loose pins

42. Lost motion- Adjusting to eliminate it

43. Lyre repair on Grands

44. Moth, Mildew, and Fire Damage and Smoke Odor

45. Name Decal Application

46. Pedal and trap repair

47. Pedal- Grand- Key bed fails to return when soft pedal pushed

48. Piano tuner- How do I become one?

49. Piano use outdoors

50. Pin Block Separating from frame repair

50.5 Pin Block Replacement--
This is a link to a Web Site on pin block restoration

51. Plastic parts crisis


52. Refinishing the cabinet

52.5 Restringing a piano

53. Rubber Bumper replacement

54. School Pianos- Care and Defense

55. Selling a piano

56. Sound Board- Cleaning in Grand

57. Sound board- Repairing cracks and Improvised Crown Restore

58. Storing a piano

59. Tuning- Do it Yourself

60. Tuning pins- Tightening

61. Vagias elbow replacement

62. Veneer repair

63. Varmint prevention

64. Wire- Replacement of a broken one

65. Wires- Turning to brighten tone

66. Wood frame loose on bottom

 PLAYER PIANOS

67. Maintaining player pianos

68. Varmints, Lubrication of Player Pianos

69. Adjustment of Player Pianos

 70. Bellows repair in Player Pianos

 71. Get a stalled Player going again

72. Square (rectangular) grands

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION WITH MY E-MAILED ANSWERS

73. FAQ Page from E-Mailed Questions and Answers

 PIANO MOVING, INSTRUCTIONS, AND SUPPLIES

74. NEW SECTION: PIANO AND ORGAN MOVING INSTRUCTIONS

TRADITIONAL PIANO MOVING SKIDS, STRAPS, AND SUPPLIES

MOVING PADS, STRAPS, SHRINK WRAP, AND CARRYING SUPPLIES


Ordering Parts and Tools
Piano Parts and Tools Catalog
Schaff Tuning Levers
-- Tuning Meters

 

READ BOOKS POSTED HERE FREE

These books are a start. We hope to have more music and piano servicing books soon.
Also, these books are out of copyright, so you may copy them. Please leave the credit
to Gutenburg Project on the front page where it is found.

PIANO MASTERY
Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers
By Harriette Brower

PIANO TUNING
A Simple and Accurate Method for Amateurs
J. CREE FISCHER

PIANO AND SONG
How to Teach, How to Learn
FRIEDRICH WIECK

THE PIANOFORTE SONATA
Its Origin and Development
J.S. SHEDLOCK
(Load this on your laptop, and set it on
the piano desk, and learn to master the sonata)

 

WE WILL DO THE REPAIR FOR YOU BY MAIL:

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE


Appendix One- Professional Tuning Instruction-- only on the CD
Professional Tuning Instruction now in Printed Format

We now give you Stretch Charts to use with our tuning meters

Appendix Two- Electronic Organs and Desperate Acts

Appendix Three- Pump Organs and Desperate Acts

Updates and Forum  Here is our idea exchange, along with your repair reports.

Diagrams of Piano Actions  

Bibliography

Index

Epistle to Piano Tuners

 

LINKS:

Time Line History of the Piano
http://www.concertpitchpiano.com/TimeLine.html

Look at various tasks in restoration of a piano:
http://pianos.hartmanstudios.net/Info/photos.htm

Some shop pictures of piano repair:
http://www.pianoman.bc.ca/shopPictures.htm

Other tasks in piano work:
http://rcraftsmen.com/moxie/pianos/process/step10.shtml

Piano Technician's Guild forum-- Highly valuable:
http://www.ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech/

The Steinway Story in brief-- Interesting:
http://www.sherwinbeach.com/lenehan/K2571.htm

If you feel lost or at a dead end and would prefer to have help
from a man in the trade-- CLICK HERE

 

 

Load Robert Scott's TuneLab 97- 2.0--  Shareware--  $34
This software only available on the CD we sell.
This is the best deal in professional tuning PC software.
The complete program is here.


STORE HOURS
9 TO 6 CDT
GMT minus 5 hours
Monday thru Friday
Do not call on
Sat. Sun. please


ORDER PIANO PARTS BY PHONE WITH A CREDIT CARD

CALL TOLL FREE: (800) 338-8863
If there is no answer, please leave a message- we do answer our voicemail
OR:
Go to Mail Order Form for printing:
OR:
Pay by PayPal

Email address to use to send payment:
keith@stevespianoservice.com


BACK TO PIANO TITLE PAGE

Contact the Editor / Author by E-Mail.  

To the jerk de-jour in the purple Camero:

 






PIANO CARE AND REPAIR- Table of Contents, Repair, restore, and tune your piano.
Order
piano parts and tools from our Catalogue / Catalog.
Some piano tuners send customers to us. Save hundreds of dollars.
The only book of its kind anywhere.
Classified- Buy and sell musical instruments.