Cleansing, Eviction and What is in a name?

Well I have had some time to get accoustomed to a new lady in the house. I still think she is is really sweet. Her restoration will likely take many years. I am trying to do everything with as little possibility for destruction as I can. Since I am an amatuer, any restoration and repair I make needs to be reversable to maintian her integrity as an original instrument.

My first steps have been to clean her interior up, evict the residents and have her pose for a few photographs. The photographs will provide me with reference points when we get to the more intricate aspects of what makes her sing. It will also be a way to track my progress and the improvements made.

Upon opening her lid one can see how original she still is. When pianos were shipped from the factory they had a little fabric pouch fashioned on the interior for holding the key that operates the lock on the fallboard (keyboard cover).
If you look at the image above, you can see the key is still there, as shipped. Remarkable since few pianos this age still have there original key. Above the key stamped into the wood you find "Laurence and Cope 987". This is how I know she was sold from the Rhodesian dealership "Laurence and Cope". It was custom to stamp the number of the instrument sold back then.

In another display of how original she is the music rack which folds to the inside still has its original felt packaging holding it to stop it bouncing around during shipping. It can be seen in the bottom left of the pic.

I mentioned eviction in the heading. Eviction and exhumation is a more accurate description. I have had to evict the living occupants and remove sundry carcasses of critters who used Lyra as a burial ground. The critters constituting an assortmant of moths, spiders, fishmoths, beetles and other things with legs.

The one essential live eviction was that of a certain Miss. B. Widow. Miss Black Widow had taken up residence in the top left corner of the action cavity. She seemed friendly enough, but one cannot take chances.

Quite a looker dont you think?

Cleaning at this stage mostly entailed dusting down and vacumming the interior of Lyra. She seemed appreciative of the attention. Her strings would vibrate and humm in approval, as the air was shifted around them.
Lastly the question must be asked, What is in a name? I had contemplated names with musical association. Lyra appealed to me as a name. It is feminine, and musical. When I vacummned her she sung like a harp (the latin meaning of Lyra). I was still undecided though.

Taking pictures I observed a blemish it the casting of her iron plate. It can be seen above, midway up the picture to the right of the strings. Since I am documenting every inch of her, I zoomed in and photographed the blemish. Flash was on, since I was working at night. Later I was examing the pictures I took on the PC. The blemish in the casting took on a new form for me. I can see it was there by design.
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Name Confirmed I would say.

In pursuit of a hobby.

Hi,

Those of you who have known me for any length of time, will know I have a fascination with all things piano related, although I am near talentless when it comes to playing one.

After over a decade of interest in the hobby of Piano Technology (Strange since I have not had the piano or the means to pursue it) 2008 seemed like time might be right for doing something practical about it.

I have the literature and have been privy to tens of thousands of discussions by Piano Techincians Guild members (yes a dark and secret organisation with a secret handshake NOT!) around the, restoring, rebuilding, designing, re- designing and repairing of pianos. In short a truck load of head knowledge and no practical experience what so ever.

Finally I am about to embark on a practical adventure with a pretty old gal whom I courted for some months before inviting her home.

I have named her Lyra, literally meaning Song. She left the home of her creator in 1937, attired in a rich cloak of flame mahogany. By then her makers had mastered the art of producing pianos. They had been making her forebearers since 1811. Her makers exist to this day at the same location as they started 197 years ago.

She boarded a ship, and took a voyage around the tip of Africa.

At some point the ship docked in Durban harbour South Africa. There our intrepid traveller disembarked and took a train and went clickity, clacking off to Rhodesia. At that point I cannot be sure as to where she went next. She got off the train at either Salisbury or Bulawayo. She entrusted herself to the care of Messrs Laurence & Cope, and become the 987th piano to be sold by them.

Amazing in a wartime depression, people there could afford to buy a luxury item. Now they cannot afford a loaf of bread.

Her history is sketchy after that, until she was found by me ageing away on a veranda in March 2008. Thus our courtship became.

I welcomed her home yesterday. Her coat is a little faded, but her voice is sweet and with time I hope to help her sing.

Meet Lyra.

This blog will be in part a photo journal of her restoration and perhaps a personal snippet in between.