Vintage Baby Grand Refinishing for color and finish type
 

Well after 6 or 7 years of owning this beautiful but rough Williams
(made in London Ontario Canada) 1910 Ribbon Mahogany Baby Grand it is
time to bite the bullett and start the refinish work...

I am a woodworker NOT a Piano Builder so I have some questions.

The finish on it appears to be shellac or lacquer so stripping
shouldnt be a big thing.

I like a reddidh cherry/mahogany color, what would you recomment for a
stain, gel, wipe on, etc.

Should I refinish it in Shellac or lacquer, I would prefer spraying
lacquer.

any help would be appreciated!!

BJ

Vintage Baby Grand Refinishing for color and finish type
 

"Paneldoctor" wrote in message
...
Well after 6 or 7 years of owning this beautiful but rough Williams
(made in London Ontario Canada) 1910 Ribbon Mahogany Baby Grand it is
time to bite the bullett and start the refinish work...

I am a woodworker NOT a Piano Builder so I have some questions.

The finish on it appears to be shellac or lacquer so stripping
shouldnt be a big thing.

I like a reddidh cherry/mahogany color, what would you recomment for a
stain, gel, wipe on, etc.

Should I refinish it in Shellac or lacquer, I would prefer spraying
lacquer.

any help would be appreciated!!

STOP! Do not proceed until you've spoken with a professional piano restorer.
Pianos are to woodworking what the space shuttle is to a Cessna. The wrong
stripping and refinishing techniques can ruin the sound quality (and value)
permanently, and you need special precautions to avoid harming other parts
of the instrument while you're working on it. I was working for an auction
house years ago when somebody brought in a Bosendorfer (sp?) baby grand,
circa 1900. At some point in the 1970s it had been refinished to show off
the rosewood. If it had been left alone it would have had a starting bid of
$75,000. Refinished as it was, it started at $4,000. I don't recall the
closing price, but it was less than a tenth of what it should have brought.
-- Ernie