>The maker was John B. Philips, Barrington St, Halifax NS. >This is an almost no-budget, labor-of-love, historical society, where >townspeople have volunteered to preserve an old sandstone house and fill >it with a slice of life from the approximate time of the house's >construction. If any historical instrument specialists want to examine the >piano, they'd be delighted, but they wouldn't have the wherewithal to pay. >I don't see the harm in doing simple repairs to a piano that doesn't seem >to be unusual for its time, particularly when as you say, some museums >have rooms full of these things. I'm trying to help the town and some of >its nicest citizens, and what little I do will be reversible. > Mark, I appreciate that they have no budget and the labor of love historical society aspects. Please, please be careful. Have somebody there call or write to a collection or large museum remotely close to your neck of the woods for assistance. They can advise and often even help. They may likely send out somebody, for free, to look it over. Document everything. To excess, since in hindsight there is always something forgotten. I can find no record of this builder, can you Stephen? This could be a rarity indeed. Why do you say it's not unusual for it's time? What the Smithsonian has rooms full of, for example, are mid and late nineteenth century squares, not something like this. Don't do anything in haste. Silent Night is months away. Often those like myself will take years of asking questions and tracking down appropriate methods and supplies before starting to make alterations to an instrument, particularly if it's unusual. If you do decide to go ahead, save everything you remove. Use acid free boxes, etc., (not expensive, get somebody in town to donate a hundred dollars for boxes) Don't pull it to 440. Don't push it past it's ability. Anne Anne Beetem Harpsichords & Historic Pianos 2070 Bingham Ct. Reston, VA 20191 abeetem@wizard.net
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