I finished sanding the wippens and applied a thin coat of McLube to the graphite. Next, I feather sanded the soundboard, which is looking gorgeous thanks to Osious. The later part of the afternoon was spent tinkering around with the pedal parts.
In the background of the picture, you can see the newly installed ravioli. That's really what they're called.
The best part of the day was using the die grinder to level pointy screws near the back leg, creating a wealth of adorable little sparks. When I told Bernard how satisfying this was, he commented that "making the sharp dull" sounds like the job of public schools.
Anyway, after the leveling, I sanded, painted, and shellacked the inner rim, finally finishing the job I had started on Sep 30. Bernard and Osious also helped me re-sand the plate, which had been sprayed with a thick layer of primer.
Friday, 13 Jan 12
It was a big day for The Volkert; Osious drilled the bridge pin holes and began notching the bridges. I'm extremely fond of the laminated bass bridge, which the crew made a month ago. You can count all 11 layers in the picture below.
On the other side of the shop I made bushings for the pedals very slowly and somewhat badly. Then I started polishing and repairing the fallboard with various products and steel wool.
Any day spent with hide glue is a good day. I glued felt onto the back of the damper guide rails, re-bushed them, and sanded the underside of the damper heads. These things aren't quite as photogenic as Osious' finished bridges, which are pictured below.
Monday, 23 Jan 12
Bernard announced that Tết, the Vietnamese New Year, was an auspicious day to glue in the soundboard. It's the year of the dragon! George is a fire dragon, I am a water dog, and The Volkert will be a water dragon. I'm not making this up. If I were, I would be the fire dragon and George would be the water dog. Stupid water dogs.
I wirebrushed and lacquered various damper screws and tried to glue felt onto a small piece of wood called the "monkey." It was horrible and I had to redo it.
The gluing took place for eleven minutes starting at 15:01 and required no less than forty-seven clamps.
Friday, 27 Jan 12
All I did for The Volkert was polish up the brass caps pictured below, clean out the soundboard bolt holes with drill bits, and remove an old piece of felt. Bernard made the decision to unleash a novice into the world; I worked on someone else's piano for the better part of the morning.
It was a clear sunny day with a breeze that went straight through the front door of the shop. Using the breeze and air hoses, we created piles of flying debris, which I imagine would be Grampy's solution to Betty Boop's Dusty Piano Rebuilding Shop. Do you know Grampy the inventor? Now I know what you're thinking. Pianos, as we know them, came about by the end of the 19th century. Betty, who aired in the 30s, wouldn't be doing that kind of work. To this, I say, it's still a nice thought.
For the task, Bernard played Hillbilly Music... Thank God Volume 1, a collection of hits from the late 40s - mid 50s. Here's a quote from the song Two Whoops and a Holler by Jean Sheperd.
If all the gals would stick by me we'd change the world around
We'd make the men walk on their knees and sleep out on the ground
What's I'm really tryin' to say and I know you'll understand
The women ought to rule the world cause the men ain't worth a
Two whoops and a holler, they're lower than a hound
I hope they croak it ain't no joke, they're the lowest thing in town
They're the lowest thing in town.
END PART V
