Good evening, I am new to the forum and I hope to do everything correctly! If not, please forgive me, I will learn as soon as possible...? I am a young piano lover and I have come into possession of an early 1900s upright piano by the brand Brockner (of which I have managed to find very little information online); the piano in question features an antiquated mechanism apparently called "bayonet style," as it only has dampers in the lowest and middle registers, leaving the last two or three octaves exposed (ah, it is a non-cross-string piano that also has only 85 keys). The piano in question must have absorbed a lot of humidity (the previous owner actually told me he kept it in a cellar for a long time) and for this reason, the damper felt of the last five or six notes covered by the system has hardened significantly, thus resting on the strings without damping the sound in any way... Now, not wanting to spend too much on this piano by turning to a technician (aware of its antiquity, the inefficiency of the damping system, and the need for more than just a little work on the mechanism), I was wondering, is it possible (being a DIY enthusiast with good manual dexterity) to do something for the aforementioned to at least make it playable? I have already disassembled the mechanism (which is now on the workbench), the keys, and cleaned everything thoroughly (the cabinet also needs restoration but that is a minor problem); you who know much more than me, what do you advise me to do? I can try to replace the felts, but I haven't found spare parts on the internet, not to mention that there would be a need for tuning and a general regulation of the escapement etc... Thanks in advance for the help?
The bayonet mechanism is very complex. It is not easy to replace the damper felts which, moreover, are difficult to find. One must examine the type and, above all, check all the pins, hammers, strings, soundboard, etc. It is not a "do-it-yourself" job. You need a skilled technician and you have to settle for the result, in the sense that it will never dampen perfectly. The lack of dampers in the treble section is present in every piano. Now one must see if the damper "covering" mechanism is complete; otherwise, they must be rebuilt, but I don't think so. Overall, for this type of instrument, one must see if it is worth facing the cost of restoration, given the meager added value they gain.
Thanks for the clarifications, the soundboard is in good condition, as is the cast iron frame (apparently the piano was already restored about twenty years ago) and the strings which were replaced two or three years ago; the hammers are clearly marked (3-4 mm) by the percussion on the strings, the damper action mechanism is complete, the problem arises with the last five damped keys, where the dampers even in the resting position press on the strings without damping (because the latter have hardened); the only problem is the regulation, in fact I haven't been able to find a technician in my area who deals with work on bayonet pianos... Is it really that complicated to make the necessary adjustments?
If you don't know how to regulate and you have disassembled the action, you might find yourself in difficulty... or did you only disassemble the upper part of the transmission action that is fixed above the keyboard? If so, it isn't difficult to reassemble, but anyway, do not expect to have an instrument that damps perfectly. However, it could certainly be improved and, if the sound is excellent, it could offer a good timbre... but always an antique one.
The restoration of a piano involves many skills and this type in particular is quite more complicated. You cannot rely on "do it yourself" if you do not have the experience and knowledge regarding this type of instrument. Even some technicians refuse to work on them. Therefore, I take the liberty of advising you to wait for the right time, when you can decide whether to entrust a technician with the evaluation of the work to be carried out. It may also be that it is not worth it, just as it could be, as mentioned, that it is a piano with a beautiful timbre that is worth saving.
Thank you again for the speed and accuracy of the responses; anyway no, I haven't completely disassembled the action nor do I intend to do so, not having the slightest presumption of being able to understand every aspect of the complexity of this subject. I have removed the action from the case and I would say that the operation was very simple; I proceeded to clean the action externally (since it was very dusty) to realize the actual state of the hammers etc. Probably at this point I will look for a technician willing to put their hands on the instrument given the beautiful sound it produces? I will abandon the "do it yourself" idea, I don't want to ruin the instrument... thank you again for the information!
Hello, I am also new to the forum and I have also just acquired, almost as a gift, a 1904 piano with bayonet action.
I found information on the site: https://www.jvanmedevoort.nl/vMedevoort.htm
He is a Dutch tuner who has built a database with many piano brands and serial numbers; if you send him the name of the piano with the serial number and ā¬8, he will send you a sort of certificate with the year of construction and other data about the manufacturer.
I hope this is useful to you and good luck with the restoration.
Thank you Pier Luigi, I tried to look up the brand (brockner, since I hadn't remembered it before) out of mere curiosity but nothing; apparently there is no information of any kind, around the web I only saw another piano branded brockner and the owner was unable to help me.
It seems very unlikely to me, but have you ever heard of this brand?
