Disassembly CompleteYesterday, disassembly came to an end, as I was down to the soundboard! Ryan helped me remove the plate. We used the shop crane to good advantage. I’m glad we had it! Lesson learned: bind points are at the front of the piano, not at the back. Thus, it is important to lift primarily at the front. It wasn’t a problem as we went slowly and monitored progress well.
Piano vintage confirmed:
While the eBay listing for this piano suggested it was made in 1905, the serial number is only three different from my own piano, which had been dated to 1911 by the prior owner. Upon the removal of the plate we found the 100 year old chalk marks on the back which clearly identify this piano as 1911. End of story.
Veneer Repair Begins
My hypothesis is that the piano was stored on its side in a damp location at one time. There is evidence of mold on the soundboard and bridges of the piano. The veneer suffered buckling and separation on the left side. Repair to the buckled veneer is to be as follows:
- Rout 1/8″ channel through the buckled veneer at its peak to relieve the buckle.
- Re-glue the veneer
- Fill the routed channel
The inside veneer was separated at the top. It was re-glued using Titebond glue applied with a veterinary syringe.
What a nice way to see your progress! This is a whole new era of journaling a project. I realize how busy you are with this project, but perhaps you want to consider redoing some of your older projects in this format, too. I mean Skykomish, trains, old churches, rain & window reflections, etc.
I feel almost as this is a birthing process-the rebirth–it is just so exciting–especially to see the dating on the piano–Duane you are amazing and this documentation is incredible–I am wondering if all of this could be placed on one DVD at some time–I think that the encapsulated history would be so awesome to display through a digital frame near the piano. Best of luck on your continued efforts.
Jan
This is so facinating! What an undertaking, I am very impressed. Duane, I am the new music specialist at SAA, have met your darling wife, and love her! I look forward to working with her and hearing more about this wonderful project.
Shauna Bradford
Thank you so much for your kind donation to our school.
where is the serial number located on a stieff piano?
Response from Duane:
If you look under the piano … toward the right side of the keyboard, you will find a 5 digit number stamped in the case. Below are serial numbers by year for Stieff:
Year Serial
1865 1716
1870 2000
1875 4000
1880 6000
1885 8000
1890 10000
1895 12000
1900 15000
1901 16000
1902 17000
1903 18000
1904 19100
1905 21200
1906 22300
1907 23400
1908 24500
1909 25700
1910 26800
1911 28000
1912 29100
1913 30200
1914 31300
1915 32400
1916 33500
1917 34600
1918 35900
1919 37300
1920 38500
1921 39100
1922 40000
1923 40500
1924 41000
1925 41500
1926 42000
1927 42500
1928 43000
1929 43600
1930 44800
1931 45400
1932 46000
1933 46400
1934 46600
1935 46800
1936 47000
1937 47500
1938 48000
1939 48500
1940 49000
1941 49500
1942 50000