At 06:40 PM 1/6/98 EST, Ray wrote: > I have a customer with an old S&S model K upright. When I walked into her > house for the first time, I saw that it had been “refinished” by being painted > over with high gloss white enamel house paint. Needless to say, the action was > shot, a fact which I only found out after having to pry loose all the case > parts. I warned her what would happen to those pretty edges when I separated > the parts. It was just like when you go into an old house to discover the > windows painted shut. It was a splendid time, I’ll tell you. I guess my > question is, who else has seen refinishing like this, and how do you keep a > straight face when you do see it? What should my reaction be, and what is the > best way to be diplomatic about it? I look after an old upright that someone has tried to make a "Steinway" out of at some time in that past. Most of the plate markings had been ground off and raised letters spelling "STEINWAY GERMANY" were added to the plate and a S&S decal to the fallboard. This instrument was "refinished" with a thick epoxy or perhaps a polyester without taking ANY of the parts off it except for the front board. The piano is actually a Canadian "Bell" instrument from about 1920, a fact that's obvious since they didn't remove the "Illimitable Repeating Action" insert from the plate triangle. Not only did I have to tell the owner that I couldn't get at the action to regulate it (there was overspray on the action too) because of the thick finish, but I had to tell him it wasn't a "Steinway" either. I did it all as gently (diplomatically?) as possible, but I still have one very disapointed customer who paid a lot of money for the piano and to have it "refinished". He's still a customer, though. This particular piano is pretty-much toast in my opinion, although it still tunes reasonably well. Breaking it apart will tear up the wood and the finish, and nothing short of total action replacement will get all the hardened guck off the parts. The owner says he'll just enjoy it as it is, and since all it's used for is playing hymn tunes it will do just fine for him. I feel sorry for the next owner though and I'm tempted to put a sign inside that says "THIS IS NOT A STEINWAY" just in case. John John Musselwhite, RPT - Calgary, Alberta Canada musselj@cadvision.com - http://www.cadvision.com/musselj/
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC