The first one had been worked on extensively at some point in the last 50 years; many parts had been replaced, but not all of any particular part. This is a strange set of choices in what was worked on vs what was left alone.

It had a complete set of new bass strings, a fairly expensive upgrade, but the hammers and dampers were still old and poor.

The ivory had been replaced with plastic, some of which were warping, causing sticking keys.

The original wood hammer flanges were either cracked or crumbling, so any work I tried meant replacing a part. Many of them had been replaced as problems came up, but not every one – that would be almost as much work as replacing the whole action. This was most likely due to excessively dry climate or large fluctuation in humidity.

The top section of hammers had been replaced, probably due to excessive wear, but the hammer shanks had not all been replaced. Possibly someone didn’t want to pay for all that labor.

Many of the jack return springs were too weak due to metal fatigue. I replaced a few, but not all, also due to cost considerations of the current (new) owner.

I spent over two hours and only fixed a handful of problem keys due to aging and/or broken parts!

The one today was a slightly younger, maybe 10 years, and not as high end at manufacture date.

However, it had been cared for much differently. And the quality of the work was much higher.

The parts were almost all original; just a few strings in the upper treble section, bridle straps, and a few little things.

The ivory keys had been cared for and were almost perfect!

The hammers had been shaped and were still serviceable.

The case had been re-touched and showed its beauty.

It was certainly a concentrated look at the contrast of good workmanship and caring owners!

This little dog had such amazing tenacity that he whined, barked, and scratched for the whole hour and a half it took to tune the old upright! I’ve never had an animal or child be that persistent during a tuning!

Usually the kids like to watch and ask a few questions, and the animals want to greet and lick for a short time, and then go to off their corner.

It was quite entertaining that he was so persistent!

Pianos can be easily damaged by liquids. Liquid spills can only damage the exterior finish; however, if a spill reaches the inside of the piano, it can result in costly damage to the action or soundboard. Piano owners should protect their instruments by keeping liquids as far away from the instrument as possible. Dust in between the keys can interfere with the action but can be minimized by keeping the lid closed when the instrument is not being used, however, the lid should be opened at times to ensure air circulation to prevent mold from growing. If a spill occurs, immediate action should be taken by removing the keys, cleaning them in a grease cutting solution and allowing them to dry. Careful disassembly, and reassembly should be taken if done by anyone other than a technician.

Piano owners can prevent these problems by controlling humidity. Most technicians recommend an indoor relative humidity in the range of 30% to 50%, kept as constant as possible. Keeping the piano away from air vents, heaters, open windows, open doors, direct sunlight, and the kitchen can help prevent damage, since all these are potential sources of sudden changes in humidity. However, even with these precautions, changes in weather affect indoor humidity.

Ideally, a piano owner would use a hygrometer in conjunction with a humidifier and dehumidifier and/or air conditioner/evaporative cooler to keep the humidity of the room housing the piano constant year-round. Baldwin, a major piano manufacturer, recommends running a small cool-air humidifier at least eight hours a day, preferably during the night or in early morning. While some technicians believe that running a warm-air humidifier may be more effective especially in cases of very dry climates, others argue that this may lead to mildew or mold growth inside the crown.

In the case of a very dry sound board, a steam treatment may be used. To steam treat your piano, leave a small amount of boiling water below your piano’s sound board until the water cools, or add hot water to a dishwasher-safe humidifier, and allow to run the suggested eight hours. In cases where controlling room humidity is impractical, an in-piano humidity control system (such as the Dampp-Chaser) may help, though there is some controversy among technicians about the efficacy of these systems.

However, if you are moving yourself, here are some useful tips.

An upright (vertical) piano is the most common and the easiest to move. It is moved by tipping the piano and sliding a piano movers’ dolly underneath or lifting the piano up onto the dolly. The dolly has a strong frame for moving and large rubber wheels for ease of moving and not scratching the floor. The piano is transported to its new location and removed from the dolly. The piano should be covered to prevent being scratched or damaged.

The wheels attached to a vertical piano itself are rarely designed for moving, and are primarily used for cosmetic effects. With a studio piano that has larger, double wheels, it is designed for short moves. When moving a studio piano beyond the immediate room or for more than just a few feet, a dolly should still be used.

A grand piano is moved by covering the piano, fitting the ‘skid board’ with strong webbing, removing the pedal lyre (since it does not support any weight) followed by the left leg, and gently lowering the piano over onto its straight side. The lid is allowed to overhang the side so as to not pressure it. The piano is blanketed, strapped down and the other two legs are removed. Additional care should be added to ensure that the piano parts that can rub together and scratch must be secured. The skid board with the piano is tipped and a piano movers dolly is slid underneath for transport to its new location, where the procedure is reversed. Unfortunately not all carriers fit the ‘skid board’ at the early stage.