August Forster

[Mark Graham]

I have only one customer with an August Forster 7' (or so) grand,
purchased in the 1980's. I've tuned it only once, also had to tighten
flange screws and do some regulation, no big deal. The soundboard is
finished with a thick layer of something. This otherwise beautiful piano
has cheesy-looking screws holding the ribs in place. Each screwhead is the
epicenter of a crazy network of cracks in the soundboard's finish. It
looks like broken glass. It's quite severe and very visible. Doesn't seem
to affect the music one iota.

Anybody know what would cause this? My first thought was moving it in an
unheated truck. I'm not an expert on finishes, but this doesn't look like
the usual lacquer, varnish, or shellac, but could be. Owner seems vague as
to when he first noticed it, but it wasn't there at the time of delivery. 

Mark Graham
Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music