was given an old player piano and need advice on best way to begin dismantling.
would love to reuse spindles/ivories/larger wooden front as well as corners, peddles, etc. so i do not want to mess it up!
have never done this before and i know several of you have....what is your strategy?? please advise!
Junk Revolution Community » Reimagine
Topic: need dismantling help!!
(3 posts)-
gigi
MemberPosted 4 years ago # -
I've done it twice. The first one was very time consuming and involved a lot of cutting and smashing, probably more because of the dismantler and not the piano. The second one was a player piano that I dismantled a couple weeks ago -- you can read about that on my blog, refunctionjunktion.blogspot.com. I ended up putting the shell back together and am in the process of converting it to a desk/computer station.
As for advice/instructions, it's one of those things that you'll probably learn as you go, but a lot is just thinking logically. Start with pieces on top of other pieces, basically first take off whatever you can. It's more difficult if a lot of glue was used, but my player had no glue, just a lot of big screws, the straight-bladed kind. I unscrewed everything with good old-fashioned hand tools. Have snips handy for cutting through anything in your way.
Save the back side for last. It is dangerously heavy because of the cast iron, you'll need help with that. So, keep the 2 main sides intact until you have help laying it done at the end if that's easier. If you aren't keeping the cast iron intact, you can bust it apart with several good whacks with the sledge hammer.Several pieces on my player weren't even permanently attached, just designed to slip in place. The keys lift up easily (you can assemble later, they are usually numbered) and are probably hiding some hardware, too. Just remember that each piece is attached somehow, you just have to figure out how and then undo it. If a piece is stuck, double check it you missed some screws, or it could be glue. Also, if you going to be reassembling, you might want to label hardware as you remove, but certainly not necessary.
Good luck! And have fun!Midge
Posted 4 years ago # -
I ran across the blackened & sooty metal guts of a piano a few years back. I found out the vendor got so frustrated during the dismantling process he actually started the piano on fire. I loved the guts, but wasn't interested in the clean-up.
Hope it goes well for you. Just take deep breaths and relax!
Peace,
KiPosted 4 years ago #
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