Ebonized Case???

[Danny Moore]

Greetings all,

Just contacted by a Houston rebuilder to bid the repair/refinish of a
7'10" Grotrian-Steinweg built around 1903-1908.  Current owner purchased
it in the mid-50s from the original owner (whom he lived with while
studying music in Germany.)  There is sentimental value as well as
intrinsic value.

I am unfamiliar with the turn-of-the-century method of "ebonizing" a
piano.  In this case, the veneer has virtually deteriorated to the point
of disintegration.  It literally crumbles in your hand.  The veneer is
loose from the core wood all over the instrument.  It has been suggested
to me that the process used in coloring the veneer black impregnated the
veneer with an acid substance that has caused this disintegration.

The obvious question is:  What to do now?
(1)  Is there an epoxy substance that will restore the wood fibers of
the veneer, or will it have to be stripped and re-veneered?  (2) How
were pianos "ebonized" a century ago and is this related to the veneer
problems today?  (3) Did the ebonizing process also attack the core
wood, or worse, is the inner rim affected and in the process of
de-laminating?  (4) What other problems am I overlooking and what other
obstacles might I encounter?

Awaiting your sage advice,
Danny Moore
http://www.setexas.com/danmoore/