Bridges transmit vibrations from the string to the soundboard. I created a mylar cut-out of the treble and bass bridges, traced the original bridge pin holes with a soldering iron, and finished the diagram with a light sanding and pencil rubbing. Using a caliper, I was able to notate several height readings.
Once these specs were recorded, Bernard used a bandsaw to remove most of the treble bridge cap and the top quarter inch of the bass bridge. I steamed the remainder of the cap off the treble bridge root with the help of prying tools.
Friday, 9 Sep 11
Bernard had soaked some hide glue overnight and cooked it up in a hotpot for me by the morning. With a pair of sharp pincers, I bisected toothpicks and discarded the ends. I then plugged the treble bridge holes with glue and wood using a mallet. Bernard and I hoisted The Volkert up on its side, so I could remove the wooden levers underneath that constitute the trapwork. We were very careful to mark the position of each lever with a set of numbered steel stamps. It was a very pleasant day; Bernard and I listened to recordings of grandma's playing.
Friday, 16 Sep 11
The underside of The Volkert was covered with holes from previous movings. My first task was to smooth over the area with an air sander. Osious was able to perform a very successful extraction on the screw pictured next to the blue wire below, and I proceeded to fill each hole with wood epoxy. As that dried, I removed the old leather from the trapwork, sanded down the wood, and painted the parts satin black. I also reshaped the swing blocks with a belt sander, which was a little bit scary.
Friday, 23 Sep 11
It was full crew and a beautiful day with Bernard, Osious, Celeste, and Nathan. First, I leveled the dried epoxy with a wood planer and air sander. Next, I lacquered the trapwork bolts and finished the underlevers with bushings and dag graphite lubricant along friction points. After Osious checked the fittings of the legs and lyre, I started painting the underside black. If you are a piano technician, you will notice that I filled in the trapwork screw holes. Some day, I hope to read this and shake my head in disbelief. For the time being, however, I don't feel so bad.
Friday, 30 Sep 11
The first task was to sand off some of the paint in order to relocate the trapwork screw holes and drill them in with a tapered bit. That made me a little nervous, but I did it. With Osious' help, I wirebrushed and lacquered the springs, cleaned up the dowel and fitted it with new felt, and re-bushed the dowel hole. Other than that, "I see a red door and I want it painted black." Check out what used to be the ugly remnants of a mahogany finish.
The first task was to sand off some of the paint in order to relocate the trapwork screw holes and drill them in with a tapered bit. That made me a little nervous, but I did it. With Osious' help, I wirebrushed and lacquered the springs, cleaned up the dowel and fitted it with new felt, and re-bushed the dowel hole. Other than that, "I see a red door and I want it painted black." Check out what used to be the ugly remnants of a mahogany finish.
Friday, 7 Oct 11
It was a perfect day. Bernard came in and out of the shop; otherwise, it was just me and the chickens. I sanded and numbered the keys, scraped the sides, removed the back checks with a crow bar, and unscrewed the capstans. Pictured below, the keys show both the back checks which point upwards on wire, and the capstans which are made of brass. The new ones will be made of aluminum.
END PART II
