[pianotech] What kind of wood is this?

Sheila Holcomb fortefile at gmail.com
Thu Aug 26 09:57:44 MDT 2010


(photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23869082@N03/sets/72157624687893411/ )

Sporer, Carlson & Berry Upright, No. 1571
No year listed in the atlas, but the company made pianos from 1860-1915

My first guess from the color and rough grain texture would be oak, but I
have never seen this sort of dramatic curl pattern in oak.

Anyone else seen this look before?
Also, any guesses on age?

The other weird thing is that at first I thought it had been refinished, due
to the light color compared to the color under the lid, but then I notice
the the crazing in the finish is still there. Is there any way someone
lightened the finish without removing the crazing?

Oh, and this was a fire salvage piano and then stored, so it would have been
exposed to heat and then covered in a layer of soot for about 10 years. You
can see silhouettes of knickknacks and photo frames on the lid where the
heat discolored the finish.




[k]
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