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Actually, the previous owners (husband & wife & 4 kids) helped me load it on my utility trailer. They did most of the work. I figure that was part of the bargain.

I've taken the gem apart and cleaned out a 100 years worth of dust... I ordered new polymer key top fronts that look like real ivory and glued them on the white keys... that turned out well. I put the keys and action back in yesterday to see how the new key top fronts look and spent about 4 hours playing the heck out of it...

Of course, I needed the practice and the action needs loosening up. Most of the notes repeat pretty fast... some are still sluggish, even after treatment with Protech CLP. I'm hoping the stubborn sluggish notes will smooth out without too much prompting.

I like the tone of the old gal...

The exterior finish has been refinished in the past and it looks like they did a good job... it won't need much; maybe a good cleaning and going over with 0000 steel wool and soapy water.

My sister has alrady expressed interest in the piano; so, when I'm done with it I may give it to her (unless I fall in love with it even more ).

Thanks for all the comments, and Happy Holidays!

Rick

Hi Rick,

Will the crowning glory be a new fallboard decal?

Happy Holidays to All!

Rickster, what's "Protech CLP" if I may ask?

Hi Sam,

I may have mispelled it... it is Protek CLP. It is a special product made especially for acoustic piano action parts. It cleans and lubricates. They sell it here at Piano World at the Piano Supply page. Protek CLP

Rick

Rickster,

Very cool. Thank you. If it is a disease, maybe A&E could do a series "Piano Hoarders NYC", "Piano Hoarders Orange County"!

BTW, where do you find room to keep these old gals as you're rebuilding them?

It really brightened my day.

I thought you all might get a good laugh, or at least a smile, ( ) out of my field engineering set up to treat the tuning pin block on my old Conover upright. Thing is, it worked... well.

When you don’t have the right tools or equipment (or human assistance) you use what you got…

The old gal is responding to my TLC just fine... I can't get over how well I like the tone, in spite of the dead bass strings and warn hammers.

And, J&J, I almost have a piano in every room of my house... I may have build on another room.

Happy New Year!

Yeah Rick!

Simple piano tools are one thing, but most of us don't have a Ford Tractor with a rear boom!!!!!!

Good Job!

Great photo! While the piano was tipped, did you take a minute to tighten up the bottom board screws and the caster screws?

Thanks, Eric.

Actually, yes, I did tighten the caster screws... but not the bottom board screws; I didn't think about those.

And, Marty, I have 3 Ford tractors... Guess I'm a fanatic there too.

By-the-way, I treated the tuning pin block with CA glue. Some of them (tuning pins) felt a little loose (but still holding); but I went ahead and treated all the pins slots.

I'll see how the treatment worked when I give the old gal a full tuning, but for now I'm still enjoying the saloon sound.

Rick

Nothing wrong with improvising. A lot better to use the tractor for tipping than trying to do it without enough help or the right tipper.

my wife is a good piano tipper. She's much stouter than I am. LOL

Another update...

I've made pretty good progress on my old Conover upright piano project. At this point, I'm not sure how much more to do to it. It's still an old piano but it has a charming tone, though the hammers are rather hard. I cleaned up the action and replaced a few of the old brass flange plates. I also removed the hammer butt flange pins and cleaned the bushings and pins of some sluggish notes. Most of the notes repeat pretty fast now and it seems to get better with more playing.

The new, plastic ivory simulation key top fronts were a nice improvement; and, the CA glue treatment of the pin block tightened up the tuning pins a good bit.

Old pianos can be a lot of fun, but I still think newer is better.

Rick

Just joined, trying to learn more about piano advice to purchase one for my son who is 7 years old.

This was a great thread and I really am enjoying your playing on your youtube videos! I plan to show them to my son tonight to inspire him a bit on his practicing, hah!

Gee, thanks a lot for the complement!

And, it made my day to think I might have inspired someone else to want to learn to play the piano; especially a 7 year old!

As I say in some of my music videos, pianos are a lot of fun, even if you can’t play all that well! (like me )

Rick

Oh yeah we watched the saloon sounding piano vid and then later he pulled out his Coming Around the Mountain music from last year and was inspired to play it a few times.