How Much Brass Is In A Piano? Trust The Answer

Does your antique piano still have ivory keys? The trade in ivory is banned worldwide so you may be wondering if it is legal to own real ivory and what to do with it.

These are original real ivory key tops from an antique piano.

Piano companies no longer use ivory.

Genuine ivory keytops are inherently beautiful. They are usually made from the tusks of elephants or similar animals and filed into perfect rectangles for keycaps. The tusks themselves are made of keratin, the same material as hair and fingernails, so they are durable and unique, like a fingerprint. Ivory is also slightly textured, reducing slipping and sticking during play.

However, piano manufacturers such as Steinway stopped using ivory in 1956, and Asian and European brands stopped producing ivory keys in the mid-1980s.

Buying and selling ivory is illegal.

The ivory trade was banned in 1989 thanks to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Real ivory may not be sold, bought, given away, transported across national borders, or shipped out of the country. This applies to all ivory items – sculptures, ornaments, key overlays and even entire pianos with ivory keys.

This total ban works hard to reduce demand for ivory and help save endangered elephants so their population can return. Even black market demand was reduced after the ban, and since then the elephant population has more than doubled.

Owning ivory is legal.

Although you cannot buy, sell or trade ivory anywhere in the world (including on the internet), you may keep the ivory you already own.

If you already have ivory on your piano, enjoy! It’s okay to play ivory keys, clean them, take care of them, and even pass them on to your heirs. It’s better to enjoy the piece than to waste it.

Don’t worry about the legality of owning ivory antiques and heirlooms; it is the ivory trade that is illegal.

How to recognize real ivory.

Here are a few easy ways to tell if your ivory keytops are real or not.

Real ivory turns yellow. The most obvious difference is the color. Real ivory will yellow over time; The darker the yellow, the older the key. However, if your piano keys have been regularly cleaned and carefully polished over the years, you may not notice this yellowing. There is also some color variation between keys or even within the same key.

Real ivory has a seam. Old ivory keytops were always made in two parts: a larger rectangular tab at the front and a narrower section at the back. These parts are called the head and tail. Newer keytops are L-shaped, but the old ones were made in two segments and glued together.

Real ivory has a fine grain. Take a good look at your keycaps. Do you see a fine grain pattern? They are called Schreger lines and are unique like fingerprints. You can even use these lines to identify the animal species your keys come from!

Real ivory reacts to UV light. Use a UV or black light and you will see real ivory fluoresce, either bright white or bright purple-blue. Plastic, wood and ivory do not react.

Real ivory does not burn. We don’t recommend this technique as it will damage the key top, but you can use a red-hot needle to determine if your key is ivory or not. Touch the top of the key with the tip of the needle. If it melts or burns, it’s plastic… and probably needs replacing!

Note the fine grain, the stitching between sections, and the color variations between these keys.

Ivory keys are not valuable.

Since the trade in ivory is completely banned worldwide, the key buttons are worthless. But even if it were legal, remember that only a thin veneer on the top of the key is ivory. The entire key is not solid ivory. This thin veneer can chip, crack, and peel (remember, it’s made of the same material as fingernails, so it’s subject to the same type of damage). This thin disk is so little material that even ivory artists would probably not be able to work with it.

Chances are your keycaps are chipped, discolored, or missing entirely like this one. Note the exposed wood and cement wafers where the ivory part is missing.

However, you can replace missing key covers with real ivory.

I am able to reattach ivory keycaps that have fallen off. Store any fallen fragments or salvaged ivory.

If you prefer modern, cruelty-free replacements, I offer imitation ivory key heads, tips and even seamless key covers. These replacement parts can be shaped, color matched and filed to look exactly like the original. It also has a fine grit that provides that signature ivory texture and feel.

Donate unwanted ivory to your piano technician.

The most respectful thing you can do with unwanted ivory is donate it. Don’t throw it in the trash. Instead, contact me for careful removal and replacement. I can use reclaimed ivory to repair and refurbish antiques. By donating your unwanted keycaps, you can help save elephants and ensure their precious ivory is not wasted!

Have you ever wondered what all the junk on your property might be worth? Well, if that scrap metal is brass, the answer could be, “Much more than you think!” True, when it comes to how much brass is worth, the answer may surprise you.

But it’s not just the money you can make from recycling brass that’s worth it. Not only will this post discuss more about how much brass is worth, but also some other reasons why you should recycle brass.

What is brass?

You’re probably much more familiar with aluminum recycle items than you are with brass. That means you might not know much about brass itself either. To start, let’s talk a little more about this non-ferrous metal. It is considered “non-ferrous” because, unlike a material like steel, it does not contain iron.

A magnet can be used to quickly determine whether a material is ferrous or non-ferrous. When a magnet sticks to an object, it’s usually iron. If not, it’s non-ferrous metal.

Aside from being non-ferrous, there are many other interesting properties of brass that are worth mentioning. It is an alloy of copper and zinc and can be used for a variety of important purposes. Brass is known for its high conductivity, relatively low melting point, and resistance to corrosion. This means it is ideally suited for a range of purposes including decorative, mechanical and electrical. Music fans will also appreciate that many instruments have historically been made of brass, including trumpets, tuba and trombones.

You’ll also find a range of other everyday brass objects including:

door handles

coat hook

door locks

mailboxes

lights and switches

As interesting as these facts are, we know you’re still wondering, “How much is brass worth?” so let’s talk about that next!

How much is brass worth?

As with most materials, the value of brass can fluctuate on a daily basis. As of 2021, brass is typically worth around $1.76 per pound, with scrap brass costing around $1.74 per pound.

When you compare this to the value of other recyclable materials (including cast aluminum at about $0.45 per pound) you can see why so many people want to learn more about recycling brass!

What you should know when recycling brass

Before we get to other reasons for recycling brass that have nothing to do with money, let’s discuss some other things you should know about the process.

First, it helps to make sure your scrap brass is organized and free from dirt, dust, oil, paint, other metals, and plastics. This helps ensure you get the best value for your materials.

Of course, it also helps to work with professional scrap recyclers like the team at Scrap Gators. We make sure that your scrap is properly organized and picked up. We also know where to take your material to ensure you get the best price on your brass scrap. Simply put, we make the process as effortless, straightforward and profitable as possible for you!

If you plan on collecting scrap metal yourself, be sure to listen to this next point! Before you begin collecting these materials, be sure to wear protective clothing, including gloves. It’s never worth risking a cut or serious infection.

More reasons to recycle brass

Now let’s move on to some other good reasons to start recycling brass.

Infinite recycling capacity

One of the other things that is so interesting about brass is its ability to be recycled as often as possible! Unlike other products that lose certain properties or qualities during the recycling process, brass never loses its chemical or physical properties during the recycling process. Because of this, you can continue to reap the rewards of brass recycling over and over again!

environmental benefits

When you recycle brass instead of throwing it away, you help keep it out of landfills that are already packed to the limit. At the same time, there is no need to mine new brass – a process that is very harmful to the environment. Mining new materials (brass in this case) is far less economical than recycling brass altogether. The process of recycling brass produces far fewer emissions than mining new natural resources.

Economical advantages

Now that you know that brass is worth a lot, you also know the economic advantages when it comes to your own wallet. But did you know that recycling brass has a number of benefits when it comes to the overall economy?

Because recycling brass requires fewer resources than mining new materials, it helps keep the cost of this precious resource down!

How much is commercial scrap brass worth?

As a commercial scrap recycler in Florida, we often work with people who work in the shipping industry. A variety of ship’s fittings contain not only valuable scrap brass, but a range of other valuable materials. What some boat owners don’t realize is how much junk they are sitting on when customizing their boat or getting rid of an old vessel. In fact, sailboat ballast is very heavy and can be worth thousands of dollars in scrap lead!

How is scrap brass recycled?

We have an in-depth blog post on the subject here, but in short, this is how the scrap brass recycling process works:

Processing

In the first step, brass is smoothed or crushed into sheets using high-performance machines. To do this, you must first take your scrap brass to recycling yards! Or let Scrap Gators do it for you.

Melt

Once the machines flatten the brass into sheets, it can be melted into liquid form. If there is a lot of brass to be melted, this can take several hours. For smaller quantities, this can be done in a few minutes.

decontamination

The decontamination process involves refining the molten brass. This allows it to be broken down into separate compounds (like copper and zinc). Alternatively, more of these compounds can be added to change the composition of the brass.

hardening

Once the brass is done with the decontamination process, the liquified metal can be cooled and transported. This part is really interesting because the molten brass can be cooled down into its final shape! Whether tubes or rods, it is an incredibly exciting process!

Transport of the metal bars

After the brass has cooled to its final form, it’s time to be sent to its new home to serve a new purpose. Then when it’s ready to be recycled again, the process can start all over again.

Recycling brass with Scrap Gators

So if you’re in the Fort Pierce area and want to learn more about recycling brass or other non-ferrous materials, give us a call!

Here are some of the scrap recycling services we offer:

electronics

personal computers

laptops

server

tablets

Construction & Demolition

roll-off container

Flatbed Services

equipment removal

Free on-site consultation

Office and warehouse clearance

heavy equipment

machinery

shelving units

shipping boxes

With all of these services, we think it’s important to remind you that no job is too big or too small for us!

Whether you’re removing outdated mechanical systems, decluttering vacant buildings, are in the middle of construction and need more space, or just want to get rid of some extra junk, we have the expertise to ensure your projects run smoothly.

Enjoy reading this article that answers the question “How much is brass worth?”

Here are three more to read next:

July 20, 2017

So you love sitting and playing your piano every day, but have you ever wondered why the keys are black and white and what exactly are they made of? Our blog will explain everything so you can get back to playing what you were born to play.

The layout of the piano keys

There are thousands of individual working parts in the body of any piano. Most modern pianos have 88 black and white keys, made up of 52 longer white keys for the notes of the C major scale and 36 shorter black keys raised and recessed above the white keys.

The color of the piano keys

If all the keys on a piano were the same color (e.g. white), they would all feel and look the same sitting next to each other. And that would make learning to play the piano extremely difficult!

By making the black keys thinner and shorter, the pianist develops a sense of the geography of the notes. The pattern layout consists of seven white and five black keys. The same pattern is then repeated a number of times depending on the size of the piano.

The white keys are known as natural notes, and the black keys are known as sharps and flats.

What are white piano keys made of?

Initially, the white piano keys were made of ivory, but that has changed since the ivory trade was banned to save elephants and rhinos from extinction, although a minimal amount appears to still be legally available.

Today, you’re likely to find the white keys on pianos made of plastic (which is less likely to chip than ivory) or Ovirit (a plastic developed by Yamaha that looks and feels like ivory). Plastic keys are cheaper, easier to use, and less prone to damage, unlike ivory, which chip and break easily with abuse.

Pianos built over 300 years ago had keys made entirely of wood, but then ivory became a preferred material due to its excellent quality and durability.

Ivory typically comes from rhinos and elephants. Due to the high demand, the global trade in ivory over the past centuries has led to the slaughter of these animals by the millions. In 1990, a global agreement was signed banning the trade in all types of rhino and elephant ivory.

Ivory-keyed pianos are no longer manufactured, but many older ivory-keyed pianos still exist and are in use.

What are black piano keys made of?

Traditionally, longer keys were played more frequently than shorter keys, so traditionally they were covered with ivory strips because it is such a durable material. The shorter keys weren’t played that often. Hence, they were made from plain dark woods such as sugar pine, spruce or basswood, referred to as “black notes”.

They are still referred to as “ivory” by many. However, the piano industry abandoned ivory as a material for making keys in the 1970s, which wasn’t all that long ago, was it?

If your piano was made before this time, there are a few telltale signs as to whether the keys are ivory. It’s not always as easy as manufacturers try to reproduce these characteristics, but in general here are the rules:

What is ivory?

Ebony is a black hardwood with a dense composition and a high quality, evenly lustrous finish when polished.

Traditionally made from the tusks or animal teeth of elephants, ivory is large enough to carve or carve into. Ivory is tough bone tissue. The ivory trade is very controversial, leading to many alternative materials being sought to replace its traditional use.

How do I know if my piano keys are ivory or plastic?

Ivory keys are not usually one piece; They are in three parts, so you should be able to see fine lines where they connect

If you look closely, ivory has a pattern like a fingerprint

Ivory has texture while most plastic keys are smooth to the touch

Ivory is porous, so it gets dirty easily and can also yellow

Can you get ivory keys as a replacement?

If your piano has a large number of broken or missing keys, it is entirely possible to replace them with a set of plastic keys. This procedure can cost you around $600 for grand pianos and $500 for upright pianos.

Do ivory piano keys turn yellow?

Yes, ivory keys can turn yellow. Pianos are an incredible work of art that make living rooms look amazing, especially when music is playing, but cleaning these instruments is not easy. And when the keys start turning yellow, the instrument isn’t as beautiful and making music isn’t as exciting as it used to be. However, there are things you can do to turn the keys white again.

If you’re unsure whether your keys are plastic or ivory, there’s a quick way to check. Ivory keys are a bit rough while plastic keys are smooth. In either case, cleaning the piano with soap and water does more harm and is not recommended. Below are some steps to restore your yellowed ivory keys.

Remove stains from pure ivory keys with natural acids: Ivory is naturally porous. Depending on the severity of the stains, applying for the keys will take a few hours. Diluted lemon juice and milk are helpful when it comes to removing the yellow stains on your instrument. Bizarre as it may sound, acid does a wonderful job of brightening up your instrument’s keys.

Cleaning Ivory Keys With Toothpaste: Use mild white toothpaste to clean your instrument keys. Using a soft cheesecloth or washcloth, gently apply the toothpaste to the keys and leave on for a few minutes. Then wipe with whole milk and then expose the freshly cleaned keys to indirect sunlight to prevent the keys from yellowing again.

Is it unethical to have a piano with ivory keys?

Pre-1950s pianos are inextricably linked to the legal and illegal hunting and slaughter of elephants for ivory.

Pianos became popular instruments in the 1900s, and by this time the demand for ivory was becoming too great. With about 17,000 elephants poached each year, a worldwide treaty was signed in 1990 banning the trade in all types of elephant ivory.

Ultimately, the choice is yours—some people find it unethical to use ivory-keyed pianos, while others find it okay.

Is it illegal to sell an ivory key piano?

It is not illegal to sell an ivory key piano within the country’s borders, but it is illegal to import, buy and sell ivory products internationally.

What are piano keys made of today?

Today you will find that most piano keys are made of plastic because it is easy to manufacture, affordable and durable. Yamaha even designed and developed their plastic that looks and feels like ivory, called “Ivorite”.

Did you know? There is a type of teaser that is gaining popularity as a substitute for ivory. Vegetable ivory or the tagua nut is the seed of the ivory nut palm, native to South America and Africa. Unfortunately, their size limits what they can be used for, as they are typically only 4-8cm in diameter.

Would you like to know anything else about your piano? Contact us – we’re happy to help – call us on 01562 731113.

Restoration is not cheap, but it is necessary to produce an instrument of the highest value. If your instrument were an antique car, sitting on blocks, riddled with rust and ruined by neglect, you wouldn’t expect it to fetch a very high price.

If you’ve invested in restoring the car to make it a show car, you can expect it to sell for a tidy sum – likely with a nice return on your investment. Pianos and organs are the same way. Restored instruments are sold at high prices – unrestored original instruments simply aren’t.

In the last two decades, the value of antique pianos and organs has almost doubled across the board. Much of the credit goes to education – people can now get on the internet and experience what they have, which is often encouraged to invest and maintain their tools. The best way to get a general sense of what instruments are worth (after restoration) is to compare them to what similar instruments are sold for in the real market. It may be helpful if you visit our online showroom. Here you can see what different types and styles of instruments have been selling over the last few years.

Will it cost more to restore my instrument than it’s worth?

How many home renovation or “house flipping” shows have you watched on TV lately? People across the country renovate old houses and buildings so they can eventually be sold for a profit. Similar to the real estate industry, the restoration of a vintage instrument adds real value to the piece, ultimately making the instrument worth more than the cost of the restoration in most cases.

You should be aware of the weight of the piano to be moved before moving it. Most of a piano’s weight comes from its extremely heavy cast-iron harp. Small pianos only weigh 300 to 400 pounds because they have a smaller cast-iron harp than full-size pianos. Large uprights weigh 600 to 800 lb. Big old player uprights can even reach 1000 lbs. because of the heavy player mechanics. The tallest piano height is only 60 inches and the weight is around 800-900 lb.

The smallest grand piano starts at 54 inches in length, which equates to a 54-inch tall upright piano, and weighs around 500-600lb. Wings can be extended up to 108 inches to allow a 9ft concert grand to reach 1000-1200lb. Liberace’s piano was a custom-built, monstrous 12-foot grand piano weighing over 1500 pounds. He had it made especially for him because he knew that the longer the grand piano, the better the bass sounds when playing. Higher piano notes come from straight strings, so their length doesn’t matter much, but bass notes come from wound strings. The longer the piano, the longer the bass string, the better it resonates.

Large grands are quite heavy, even heavier than full-size uprights. Wings can weigh anywhere from 500 to 1200 pounds. Baby wings are 4 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 6 inches long and can weigh anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds. But longer grand pianos weigh a lot more and should always be moved by professionals as piano carriages have an 800 – 900 lb weight limit. Precisely because of their extreme weight, large uprights over 42 inches tall or grands 5 1/2 feet or longer should always be moved by professionals. Smaller pianos can be moved by 4 or 5 amateurs with practice, as long as they don’t have to go over 4 steps in the movement path.

PIANO ROLLS [ edit | edit source ]

Pianos should not be rolled around on their casters. The reels are mainly decorative and not very functional at all. When the piano is in one place, over time the casters tend to deteriorate and bind, and when you slide the piano on them they can get stuck in place and then gouge your hardwood floors or tear your carpeting.

Pushing a wing around on its leg rollers puts pressure on the legs and has been known to break a leg. The same applies to a small piano with 2 decorative front legs. Large posts are designed to take a little more being pushed around on their casters, but their casters tend to jam easily. So all in all, pushing a piano around on its wheels is not a good idea.

However, once you’ve made sure none of the casters are frozen, some of you can lift a wing a bit and move around. Just don’t push it to its feet. With a small post, a couple of you can elevate its front end a bit while pushing it on its rear casters, but only when its weight is off its front legs.

PIANO CARRIAGE WITH 4 WHEELS [ edit | edit source ]

Aside from the risk of pinching, casters do not practically eliminate the weight of the piano the way mounting on a 4-wheel piano carriage does. Therefore, whenever a 4-wheel piano trolley can be used to transport the piano, the muscular effort on the part of the crew to move it is reduced to almost nothing, since a properly balanced piano trolley is almost weightless and easily overcomes inertia on flat surfaces. On inclines or ramps, the weight of the piano is significantly reduced, but what remains is expressed at the bottom of the incline. The steeper the slope, the more weight is expressed there. Consequently, at least 3 men are needed even when moving a small piano, since at least 2 men must be positioned on the heavy side of the incline to handle the entire expressed weight of the piano.

Below is a picture of a small upright piano properly mounted on its side on our 4 wheel dolly. Note that no one is holding it. This is only possible because it is on level ground and properly balanced on the dolly so it just sits as is without needing a supporting hand or other support.

Below is a picture of the same piano properly mounted on its feet on the dolly. Again, no one is holding it so it just sits there because it’s centered on the dolly and therefore balanced and standing on level ground. Note that in this centered position, the dolly protrudes slightly in front of the piano. So the dolly has to be placed under the piano to compensate for the lighter weight of its keyboard as well as the heavier weight of its case.

MAKE AS MUCH PIANO MOVEMENTS AS POSSIBLE WITH AS LESS HUMAN EFFORT AS POSSIBLE [ edit | edit source ]

The dolly is to be used as much as possible. It’s simply the easiest way to move a piano (aside from the miles that go by just strapping the piano to the wall of a truck). It can be used to move a piano over level ground or up inclines and ramps, or to tilt it up or down to climb a curb or step. The piano trolley can also be used to transport the piano on plywood or masonite to drive over grass, cobblestone, gravel, sand or any other uneven or loose surface. If you do this, however, always use at least 4 or 5 amateurs to push it as this type of ground is inherently unstable.

So once the number of people needed for your crew has been determined (this is based on the piano size and whether actual piano transport is to be undertaken, which will be discussed further) the first thing to consider is an upright piano, put it on to mount a dolly. As simple as this task may seem to the uninitiated, it’s actually a bit involved because you’re lifting 400-800lbs. onto an unstable rolling platform that can easily slide away. Therefore, a very thorough briefing on dolly assembly techniques is given.

Below is an image of a grand piano lying on its flat side on a piano slide board centered on a piano carriage.

At first glance, it doesn’t look like this wing is exactly centered on the dolly, but that’s because its weight is balanced. Remember that the left part of the piano with the keyboard has very little weight compared to the cast iron harp within the rest of the piano’s kidney shape. So most of the weight of the piano is just a little to the left of the leg mounts to the back of the piano. When viewed from an X-ray perspective, you can see that the piano’s heavy cast-iron harp is centered on the dolly, although the piano’s case is not.

Grand pianos have to be disassembled (without breaking them of course) by removing their 3 legs and the lyre and mounting them on a piano skid board along their long side, which is a complicated process. But we don’t want to get too bogged down in our discussion here, so we suggest you check out our 5-minute moving grand piano slideshow on the subject at burrowsmoving.com/resources/piano.swf. Instead, here we’re going to talk in general terms about all the things that need to be done to teach you how to move your piano from where it started to its final destination.

TIP, LIFT, Cheat JUST ONE STEP [ edit | edit source ]

To move your piano over 1 step it should be placed on the dolly on its feet as a step on the dolly can easily be crossed by slightly tilting the piano up or down while pushing. Starting where the piano is now standing, if there is no more than one step in the transport route to or from the truck, the piano must be lifted or tipped and placed on the piano carriage with the feet (on the bottom) up the dolly’s padded rails, as shown previously.

To do this, reach under the dolly with the hump belt and lift one end of the piano. This lifting force causes the piano mounted on the carriage to be welded to the carriage as a unit. This will raise the piano above the step (as shown in the image below). In the moving industry this is called a minor cheat because we cheat gravity by one level of carrying capacity without having to take the piano off the dolly and carry it over that level and then put it back on the dolly.

Using only a tip of the piano on the feet on the dolly in the manner shown above will not work to cheat more than one consecutive step with an upright piano because the bottom edge of the piano (on the low side of the tip) will doing will scrape the floor and possibly chip. Mounting the piano on its side and doing so won’t work either, since a two-stage cheat has too much angle for safe piano movement.

Grand pianos mount on a piano skid board on the dolly as shown before, and you can use this little cheat technique on them too. But when moving a grand piano, you can sometimes even use it for two steps if the piano’s skids stick out far enough back to absorb and protect the grand piano from all the scratching of the back when it’s at such a high angle is tilted .

TAP, LIFT, LOWER TO PROTECT ONLY 2 – 4 STEPS [ edit | edit source ]

To perform larger upright piano cheats (up to 4 consecutive low steps, or up to 3 consecutive higher steps at any point on your movement path), a different technique must be used. For 2-, 3- or 4-step cheats up/down the stairs, the piano is first placed on the side of the trolley. Then the post is positioned on the dolly up to and (if possible) above the 1st step with the underside facing the stairs. In this position, the 1st step was automatically cheated by the height of the trolley because the bottom of the piano bumps almost to the 2nd step’s side.

We then finish cheating the other 2 steps by tilting the post so that its bottom is leaning against the remaining stair to traverse.

Note that at the beginning of the top of this 3-step cheat, we balanced the post on the first step so that the weak decorative leg doesn’t touch the stair and breaks it. Then we pulled the dolly out from under the bottom of the piano and placed it between the piano and the stairs to protect the bottom of the piano and to speed up the reassembly of the dolly at the top of the stairs.

As this was an older mallet piano just being used for these pictures we didn’t bother to upholster the first step but for any nice piano – although wood doesn’t usually scratch wood this should be done in order to to ensure that the piano is not damaged bottom edge.

Next we carefully lift the piano up and over the top step, keeping the dolly in place.

If we had just one more step to go, we could not slide the post onto the dolly as has been done here. Instead, we wouldn’t use the dolly at all, just place it up to the top step. Then we used a pad or cardboard placed as a cover between the piano and the top step to prevent scratching abrasion on the bottom edge or carriage of the piano, we would tip it up and slide it over the top step.

The same process is reversed when you come down the stairs. It comes down the steps with its underside facing the steps just as it went up them. The piano is pushed to the 2 men below and they hold it up until it is out far enough to tip it onto the bottom step. Then the dolly is removed and placed on the floor under the piano. It completes its descent by tipping directly onto the dolly. Again, use a pad or piece of cardboard as a buffer between the piano and the edge of the top step if there are 4 steps.

These cheating techniques are so much easier than getting under the piano and actually carrying it those few steps.

For wings, a cheat can cover as many straight steps as there are. It uses the same technique as the upright piano, but instead of having the bottom of the piano face the stair, the piano slide board faces the stair. If the abrasion of the piano sliding board does not damage the edges of the steps, just slide the grand piano down the stairs or slide it up.

After all the steps have been run through with the cheat and the piano stands securely on the steps, it has to be mounted on the dolly again. For upright pianos, this dolly mount, and any dolly mount, depends on accounting for the number of consecutive steps that are further encountered in the remaining path of travel. When there will be 1 step or less on the movement path, put the piano on the transport cart with its feet. If there will be more than 1 tier, place the piano sideways on the dolly. For grand pianos, always mount them on the piano skid on the dolly.

CARRYING A PIANO MORE THAN 4 CONSECUTIVE STEPS [ edit | edit source ]

If there are too many consecutive steps at any point in the movement path, these tap and lift cheat techniques will not work. More than 4 low consecutive steps in the movement path will automatically dictate to the crew that they must carry the piano.

Notice in the image below that the first step has been cheated with the dolly and only 3 more steps are well covered by the bottom of the piano. The 4th tier it could reach wouldn’t be adequately covered for a safe cheat, and in this case there’s even another tier above it, making it imperative for this crew to carry this piano to progress through all the tiers.

Carrying the piano up stairs is the most dangerous part of piano transport and for this reason we try to convince you not to transport your piano yourself. If the piano is carried once, even if it is only raised or lowered 1 or 2 steps at a time, it can very easily become unbalanced and detach from the crew, which can very, very quickly lead to horrible things happening lead to serious consequences injuries and / or piano damage. So please pay close attention to the part of the instructions on the website about actually carrying the piano. For now, let’s keep our discussion of moving your piano general.

TRANSPORTING A PIANO [ edit | edit source ]

The process of transporting the piano and lifting or carrying it up steps is repeated as many times as necessary until finally the piano can be hauled up the ramp or loaded onto the truck using the liftgate. Once on the truck, the piano must then be removed from the trolley and placed on its feet with the keyboard side facing into the wall of the truck. A grand piano is detached from its trolley and placed on its piano slide board, with the top of the piano facing the wall of the truck. Never transport a piano on the dolly as it could come loose and roll around in the truck during travel causing terrible damage.

They place the piano with the keyboard side (padded) against the wall of the truck, so an accidental scratch will only affect the back of the piano, which will not damage the piano’s finish. The front side of the keyboard is protected from scratches on the truck wall by the pad. For the same reason, set up a grand piano with the padded top facing the wall.

The piano must be securely double or triple fastened to the truck wall and can then be transported. Drive it as close as possible to the target point on the street or in a parking lot. Remember – always use the truck for transport as much as possible first and then use the dolly for the rest of the move to the drop off point in the new home, only carrying the piano if necessary.

CONTAINING HUMAN ENERGY WHEN MOVING THE PIANO [ edit | edit source ]

In the picture below, the ramp didn’t quite reach the top of the porch, so the movers had to place it down one step from the top, and then use a little cheat to get the piano up and over the top step doll. This is an excellent example of saving human energy, as less skilled piano movers would have given up using the ramp because it was too short and instead carried this piano all the way up the stairs to the porch. These guys made it easier with the ramp and a little cheat on the dolly.

Let us reiterate, you always want to try to use as little human power as possible during a piano move, as they are doing here. The secret to the do-it-yourself piano move (or any type of do-it-yourself move) is to have lots of people in each section of the move so you don’t get overloaded or rushed to get the job done. You also need to have the right equipment to get the job done as easily as possible. Everyone should use the piano transport equipment and good piano transport technique and constantly think of easier ways to accomplish any transport task with a minimum of human effort. Always try to strain yourself only when absolutely necessary, as any exertion, especially vigorous exertion, not only exhausts your strength but can also lead to an unwanted injury such as a hernia or a back problem. Even heavy loads can damage the piano!

Once at the destination and safely parked, the piano is detached from the truck wall and remounted on the dolly, again on its feet or on its side, depending on the 4 consecutive low step rule above. Next it is pushed and cheated and/or (depending on the circumstances) carried up stairs to its destination. It is then detached from the dolly, being careful not to nick or damage the bottom edge of the piano or the floor, and it is set in place (sometimes in cups for the casters so as not to damage the floor in the future ). Wings must of course be completely reassembled before being erected. The piano move is now complete!

Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? It can indeed happen that way for you and your crew if you carefully study all of our instructions and take your time and properly use and think about our techniques and our piano movement devices! Think! Think! Also, let us remind you again, before proceeding, be sure to read our sections on piano transport warnings and piano transport equipment costs.

There is an old African proverb: “The elephant dies, but its tusks remain.”

Elephants are magnificent animals, but there was a time when they were exploited for their tusks and always fell prey to man’s bold tactics. Did you know that ivory was widely used to make piano keys many years ago?

This was due to its value and aesthetic quality and its ability to absorb the sweat of the fingers. Compared to plastic keys, ivory piano keys can even help reduce the chances of the pianist’s fingers slipping off while playing.

Since the 1950s, however, laws have been enacted to protect elephants. Fortunately, ivory use has declined significantly since then, and piano manufacturers began using plastic for piano keys.

If you have an old piano and suspect the piano keys are ivory, here are some ways to find out!

1. Get to the basics – learn by watching

If your piano keys are made of ivory, they will turn yellow over time. The age of ivory can also be roughly determined by its color tone. The darker it is, the older it is. Color also tends to vary slightly, such as B. creamy white to tawny or tawny. Plastic keys, on the other hand, tend to have extreme color deviations.

2. With the needle

This is a very reliable test that has been used for the longest time. However, avoid this test if you don’t agree that your piano key is easily damaged! Look for a noodle with a very fine and sharp point. Place it over a flame so it glows red hot, then press it against the piano key. In case of damage, be sure to use a spot that is least visible. If this one manages to melt a tiny hole or punch a slight dent in the key, it’s definitely plastic. Ivory is tough, strong and very heat resistant. Unlike plastic, it does not melt.

3. With ultraviolet light

Look for a UV flashlight. Hold it over the piano keys. If you notice that the keys reflect either bright white or purple-blue colors, the keys are ivory. Artificial materials like resins or plastics show a completely different reaction. They simply absorb the ultraviolet light and appear dull.

4. With a magnifying glass

Ivory piano keys have always been made from three separate pieces of ivory. Two of the pieces form the top layer that the fingers encounter when playing the piano. The last piece will be used to make the front edge. Examine the top surface with a magnifying glass. Look for the very fine line that indicates where two pieces joined.

5. Another magnifying glass test

Examine the keys more closely. Ivory keys contain natural patterns called Schreger Lines. These are patterns present on the ivory, similar to fingerprints present on human thumbs. Schreger lines appear as a crosshatch or diamond pattern. If there is no such pattern, then the key is made of plastic or some other artificial material. To further investigate the Schreger lines, measure the angles at which they intersect. Mammoth ivory exhibits angles of less than 90 degrees. Elephant ivory, on the other hand, exhibits angles greater than 115 degrees.

6. With a professional

Finally, you can take a sample of your piano keys to an ivory specialist. An antique dealer that specializes in ivory is also a good option. He could use some or all of the above tests, as well as his own judgment and experience, to determine if the key is made of ivory!

Piano strings are made of steel. In contrast, the soundboard, which converts its energy into a rich, resonant sound, is made of wood. If it were just a matter of loudly amplifying the sound made when the hammers hit the strings, a metal plate would have been much more efficient. Why is the soundboard made of wood? The answer is that unlike metal, which boosts both low and high frequencies in the same way, wood only boosts the lower frequencies. At the higher frequencies it does the opposite: it cuts them off.

If you listen carefully and just focus on the sound of the strummed strings, you’ll find that it’s full of metallic clanking noises. If this sound were amplified unaltered, the piano would end up becoming a giant noise generator. The reason this doesn’t happen is because wood, the material that makes up the soundboard, cuts off the higher harmonic components (overtones), leaving only the musical components of the sound that sound good to our ears, and they converts to a richer, more resonant tone.

In other words, the soundboard is a “vibration transmitter” and at the same time in a sense a “vibration stopper”. What makes the spruce family, and in particular the Alaskan spruce (Sitka spruce), so prized as a soundboard material is that these species have the property of being better at absorbing the higher overtones. They only transmit in a rich way the sounds that we perceive as round and smooth.

A piano with an aluminum piano top, called an alumatone top, was manufactured in the late 1940s by Winter and Company, a piano manufacturer, and Alcoa, a manufacturer of aluminum and aluminum products. A piano’s metal frame, often called a slab or harp, anchors both ends of the strings and can withstand tension of 20 tons or more. The first all-metal frames were patented in the mid-1820s and are now typically cast from iron.

The similar strength of aluminum and cast iron allowed the weight of the cast metal frame to be reduced by more than 60 percent to just 45 pounds for a spinet. In 1945, Alcoa signed a contract with Winter and Company to manufacture aluminum piano tops and began marketing their new creation. Many of Alcoa’s advertisements can be seen in Etude, a magazine for musicians and pianists, in 1949 and 1950. The typical advertising campaign boasted the slogan “Stop…Lift…Listen,” urging consumers to stop and feel the light weight of the new piano, and listen to the sound quality. A brochure circulated by Alcoa claimed that by 1949 about 50,000 upright pianos had been made with this aluminum top. After 1950, however, the aluminum piano top fell out of use by piano manufacturers.

Other aluminum instruments [ edit ]

As soon as aluminum became available in the late nineteenth century, people began experimenting with making new or improved musical instruments, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that companies began to consider mass production. At that time, Joseph E. Maddy, founder of the Interlochen School of Music (now the Interlochen Center for the Arts), challenged Alcoa to experiment with making an aluminum violin and double bass. As a band director, Maddy sought longevity in musical instruments. He wanted an instrument that could withstand both the abuse from his students and the changes in the atmosphere, as many of his rehearsals were outdoors. However, these instruments were not popular and Maddy’s business venture did not prosper. Other aluminum products were made in the 1930s, including Laurens Hammond’s 1935 electric organ. Some instruments were more successful than others, such as the vibraphone or vibraharp. The vibraphone, a percussion instrument consisting of a series of bars with tubes underneath to make the sound resonate, was developed by the Leedy Manufacturing Company in 1921. It gets its name from the vibrating fans under the bars, which can be turned on and off electronically, giving the instrument a vibrato effect. The Vibraharp, 1928 by J.C. Deagan is the same instrument but made of aluminum instead of wood or steel. Due to its success, Leedy began making his vibraphones out of aluminum in 1929, and they are still made out of aluminum today.

In the mid-1930s, the Blüthner piano company built a lightweight aluminum alloy piano for the Hindenburg airship.[1]

References[ edit ]

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