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BazC
Starting Member
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2009 : 10:06:44
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I've just bought an old piano stool, it looks a bit of a mess but there's no damage apart from the badly worn leather. No cracks, no woodworm and sound joints. The mechanism works too. The previous owner believes it to be a Steinway about 60 years old.
I don't think it has any "antique" value that I could destroy by ham fisted "restoration" but I was advised on another, non-specialist forum to have it looked at by a competent antiques dealer, just in case!
Obviously it needs re-upholstering which I'd get done by a professional but I thought I could restore the wood parts myself and was hoping for some suggestions about how to go about it.
Any ideas what the wood is (rosewood maybe?) and what it would be finished in?
I asked the same question on a piano forum and got some advise from piano technicians.
The consensus was clean it up with a suitable solvent - Methanol or Toluene (neither available to the general public in England?) Turpentine was also suggested but wouldn't do such a good job?
Touch up any scratches or worn parts then a light coat or two of shellac.
I only paid £30 for it (about $50) but the upholstery will be fairly expensive, do you think this is worth spending money on or have I bought myself a "money pit" ?
I haven't collected the stool yet, I'll probably pick it up some time next week so I can post further info/better pics then.
Thanks for any help!
Oh BTW does anyone in the UK have any idea what the re-upholstering is likely to cost? Just a ballpark figure, under £100? under £200? over £200? |
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mbarrington
Administrator
United Kingdom
92 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 00:44:33
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Given that Steinway is at or near the top of the piano design and maufacturing industry, although they may no longer make these adjustable stools, it would certainly, in the classic piano market have a decent value rather depending on the wood and finish, the most valuable being rosewood. If it were a Bosendorfer stool the value would be yet higher. So yes, it must be worth restoring and of course carefully. The upholstery in the UK would probably be up to £200 in cost. The leather would need to be calf and carefully patinated on the rubbed areas ie, the forward edges and the sides where the player grips and hoists the stool to the preferred position. Avoid at all costs using foam underlays which should be horse hair and top stuffing of swan wadding. With luck all the original stuffings will be there and can be cleaned and re-used.
Given that the mechanics are OK I suggest starting with repairs to damaged wood and joints and making the stool fully stable before attending to the surface finish. Don'y use modern glue, use only hide/animal glue. I recommend taking a 'conservation' approach ie, maintain the stool's integrity. They do receive quite rough treatment and the legs get kicked and if used on the concert circuit they suffer during transit. Don't make it too perfect. Retain the marks of use and age by not over-restoring. Over restoration will certainly diminish its integrity and value.
Given it is about 60 yrs old the finish should be shellac whatever the wood. You may know that a lot of pianos and stools were ebonised but from the picture there is no indication of that. I suggest careful rubbing back of the present surfaces but being extremely careful not to damage patina and particularly so if the stool is rosewood on which patina is extremely diffult to replicate. When done you can colour in faded/damaged areas using water based colour, let dry fully and seal with a coat of shellac and then repeat as required until you have consisent colouring on the surfaces exposed naturally to light which will be slightly lighter than the more sheltered areas. It is quite likely that because of the cost and rarity of rosewood the stool is grained ie, painted to imitate rosewood. This can be very convincing but is very difficult to repair if badly damaged and 'graining' is very much a specialist skill and rarely found these days. To finish, pianos (pianofortes) and their stools were always very brightly finished ie, consistently very shiny. The earlier 17th and 18th C forte piano was usually oil finished. Shellac finish is really a 19th and 20th C manufacturing practice.
michael barrington conservation |
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BazC
Starting Member
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 09:30:57
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Thanks very much for your help Michael! I still haven't collected the stool which is in London, I'm near Huntingdon. I should have it before Christmas though, then I can get a better idea of what needs to be done.
Just a couple of questions before then if you don't mind!
You say carefully rub down the finish, presumably to remove old furniture polish dirt etc what do you suggest I rub it down with? Is turpentine a good idea? Should I just use a rag or as was suggested elsewhere 0000 wire wool?
Regarding reupholstery, any suggestions on selecting my upholsterer? Is there a guild or directory of competent craftsmen? I'm sure there are plenty of cowboys out there who would be happy to take my money. If I'm paying £200 I want to be sure they will do a good job using the correct and high quality materials!
Thanks again for your time, I appreciate it! |
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mbarrington
Administrator
United Kingdom
92 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 19:27:53
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Thanks for your reply. I would not use turpentine. The best is Liberon Wax & Polish Remover which you can obtain on the Liberon website or in some timber stores or Art/DIY shops. Apply with a clean cotton cloth. If rubbing hard does not achieve cleaning use grade 0000 wire wool or better still Superfine 0000 grade.
Once you get back to the cleaned finish you can probably determine whether you want to go ahead and make any repairs yourself or perhaps leave that to an experienced conservator-restorer. There are plenty on our website !
Re upholstery we have two specialist members:
Theo Sturge Northampton Tel: 01604 717929 who is a Specialist in leather conservation
Barry Ansell of RD Robins, Essex Tel: 0208 520 5228
Also quite a large number of accredited members practice upholstery and you can find them on our website on the "Find a Restorer" page by typing in Upholstery and perhaps the geographical area which suits you best.
michael barrington conservation |
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BazC
Starting Member
United Kingdom
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2009 : 21:27:22
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| Excellent, thanks again! |
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Restoring an old piano stool
