The completed Rachals can be seen by clicking here

* These valves are from an Autopiano that was recently ‘restored’ in the UK. I had to remove, clean, reface, seal and adjust at great expense to the customer who had already spent a large amount of money to have the original job done!

*** And from the same restorers - enlarged bleeds - an interesting solution, presumably an attempt to correct two cyphering notes. on a Steck.

** An unusuaL ‘all aluminium’ stack that I worked on recently. It’s design allowed for the removal of individual valves and pneumatics without major dismantling, as shown in the picture above. The valves were in remarkably clean condition belying their outward appearance. I couldn’t find any maker’s name though it came out of a Brinsmead upright and was extremely heavy.

A very inventive place to hide a secret note. Inside the tracker valve box from an Aeolian.

Pictured below is an Ernst Kapps of Dresden Grand piano.

Finished in burr Walnut veneer. Prior to repolishing it had been hand painted in black enamel.

Apologies for the poor photographs, I couldn’t stand far enough away to fit the whole piano in!

Testimonials

An alternative valve arrangement from a Farrand Aeolian,

below.

This arrangement makes it very easy to adjust valve travel by simply turning the seat up or down. I have set these fairly tight as the pneumatics are quite small on this model and the valve facings are ‘fluffy’ and likely to compress with use.

Higel Transmission

The remains of a cast metal transmission from a Higel that had seized due to distortion. It completely disintegrated when I tried to dismantle it. I fitted a spare Aeolian transmission to replace it making only some minor adjustments to spool height and tracking.

Odd Aeolian? Expression box

This way up it all looks very familiar but the picture below shows a very different arrangement to those I have restored in the past, and there have been many! The rest of the action looks Aeolian made but not to their usual standard, the action is stamped APPA.

I add interesting or unusual photos to this page as and when I come across them..........so keep checking back!

Duo Art Expression Box exploded.

Grandson meets workshop poodle!