Ragland Piano Reconditioning Page 1

Below is an explanation of many of the tasks performed on our reconditioned used pianos. We realize that the general public is at the mercy of music stores since much of the inner workings of a piano is unknown to most. My goal is to show you, using plain language and photos, what we do to our used pianos and what you should look for in a reconditioned, used piano. These are the high points, some pianos will require additional service and repairs depending on condition. The photos below follow the reconditioning of a nice, not very old Yamaha studio piano.

All photos are clickable for a larger image

Basic Disassembly and Cleaning

Since most people do not know how to disassemble a piano, it is safe to say that the majority of pianos on the market require cleaning. Even if the keys were kept covered, dirt and dust and more will find their way into the moving parts of the piano. It is common to find rodent droppings and nests, coins, hairpins, and plenty of just plain old dirt and dust. Not only is it unsettling to think this accumulated trash is in the piano, it can also cause sticking keys, premature wear on the moving parts and create an unpleasant odor.

Here is a photo showing the piano with the removable case parts gone.




The six photos above show some of the typical debris encountered in the average piano. This example is actually pretty clean. The top left photo shows a stray piece of felt that has been chosen by a rodent to use as building material, needless to say this not only needs cleaning up, but the damaged felt will also have to be replaced. The top right photo shows the remains of a spider, thought to be a recluse - any entomologist out there specializing in arachnids feel free to confirm or refute this. The middle photos show some rodent droppings and the bottom photos show a view under the keys - more felt, droppings and sawdust.
	My personal favorite item to find - money. To date, the most unusual item found was a loaded .38 police special handgun, with extra ammo, found in the lower part of the piano.
	First order of business for this piano, vacuuming and cleaning. No, that's not my wife.
	The keypins are cleaned with felt and Silvo (similar to Brasso but made for nickel and similar metals). Use of steel wool is not recommended as it can scratch the metal pins. If the pins are so corroded that it seems steel wool is needed, replacement of the pins is recommended instead.


	In these photos, we have tilted the piano using a special fixture and are preparing to service the pedal assembly (trapwork), check and lubricate the casters, tighten the legs and inspect the bridges. We can honestly say the piano is reconditioned from the bottom up!

These photos show parts of the bass (left photo) and treble (right photo) bridges. It is important to inspect these for cracking and delaminating (coming unglued). Very slight cracks where the pins penetrate the wood are normal in older pianos, but cracks so large that the pins have been allowed to move must be addressed.

	With the keybed and pedal area cleaned, the bottom board reinstalled and the piano returned to its normal position, we are ready to check and clean the action and keys in preparation for reinstalling them in the piano.