BRINSMEAD (ENGLAND 1902)

Scheduled for 2026

COLLARD & COLLARD (ENGLAND 1870)

Scheduled for 2026

BECHSTEIN E (GERMANY 1925)

Work in progress

ZUCKERMANN FLEMISH DOUBLE (USA 1980)

Work in progress

YAMAHA C7 (JAPAN 1995)

Sizing new felts in the damper guide rail

Playing it in to settle tuning and voicing

SHIGERU KAWAI SK7 (JAPAN 2000)

Measuring strings to calculate new hybrid scale

Measuring downweigths and upweights for the old parts

Clean plate, ready to be restrung onsite (long story...)

Back at the workshop, installing the new wippens

Action geometry needs to be addressed...

Cutting lead weights on a guillotine inherited from a dear colleague

Adding tiny weights on a hammer for even touch and tone

Removing wood from another hammer for even touch and tone

Removing unnecessary back leads from a few keys

Precious collection of specialised drill bits

YAMAHA C3 (JAPAN 1989)

Back action leads are corroded and loose, to be replaced

Double-checking that the weights are precise

STEINWAY D (GERMANY 1981)

Keyboard repair

Leads corroded and expanded, causing keys to crack

Potential for disaster if left unchecked

Onsite workshop adequate for the job, thankfully

Measuring key front weights prior to new leads installation

Plugging old lead holes after redesigning the pattern

Bass-section keys take most of the leads

ROBERTSON SQUARE (ENGLAND 1830)

Historical restoration

Comparing square piano damper against modern cousin

Traditional felts for the instrument's era

Loops are hand-made for every individual string

Making new leather hinges for all hammers

Thin margins when aligning hammers to strings after hinge replacement

Quality controller arriving for final inspection

Back at work on an early music recording project

YAMAHA C7 (JAPAN 1982)

Treating ivory keytops with H2O2 and UV light

BECHSTEIN K (GERMANY 1930)

Strings and pins rusty after decades near the coast

Plate removed, ready for cleaning and spraying

New strings and nickel-plated tuning pins on exposed pinblock

New shanks and hammers, good chance to improve action geometry

Each hammer must have an accurate weight for consistent touch and tone

Each key also must have an accurate weight for consistent touch and tone

Old hammer weights (red), compared to new ones (green) - note the smooth progression

UPRIGHT ACTIONS

Regulating new action back into the piano