The problem is that it became untunable. We had a piano tuner come and try and he said it could no longer be tuned. So, in recent years, we weren't using it as a piano. It, was, however, a nice shelving unit.
Because it couldn't be tuned, we couldn't (in good conscience) donate it anywhere. And it's so HEAVY and bulky. It wasn't something that could be moved out of the basement by a few guys we bribed with beer on a weekend to help us. Hence, the reason it became a shelving unit.
But, now Chuck is thinking more and more about how to get ready for his fun retirement projects. He decided it was time to tackle the piano to obtain some more space. On a lark, he checked the internet to see if he might find a few hints about how to take it apart. Google returned 34,000 results. I guess a few others have had this same problem!!
So, yesterday, he and Jim W., armed with their internet instructions, proceeded to take it apart. The plan was to break it into small enough pieces that we can put it out with our other trash. Here's how it went.
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| The beginning |
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| Top removed |
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| Keys removed |
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| Starting to accumulate the pieces as they're removed |
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| Starting to cut the strings |
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| As they're cut, Chuck holds a towel over the strings as they snap |
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| See that end piece? About to be whacked off |
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| Whack, whack, whack |
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| Removing the hammers |
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| Some of the strings cut, keys and hammers removed |
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| More wood taken off |
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| The pile of stuff is growing |
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| Side view |
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| The rest of the strings being cut |
In the end, they were left with an extremely heavy harp made of iron.
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| How the hell do we get this piece of iron off the back wooden piece? Turns out, we don't. |
Even after it was totally dismantled, there was still no way that heaviest piece of iron could be brought up the stairs. And, even if they did, what would we do with it? We couldn't just "put it on the curb" and hope the trash service would take it. And I didn't think it would make very good "garden art." So, we have made the decision that it will stay next to our furnace in the basement. It was all they could do to move it to that spot.
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| This is its new permanent home, in the furnace room |
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| The final pile of junk that will go out on the curb |
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| The reclaimed space! |
Someday, whoever buys our house gets a heavy piece of iron too! It is NEVER going anywhere else as long as Chuck and I are around.
2 comments:
Oh, heavens, no! Call some scrap metal dealers, tell them you have a couple hundred pounds of iron to be reclaimed, as long as they can get it out of your basement.
P.S. Chico's assistant needs to go on a diet. And so do I!
cool!! i liked seeing the insides of the piano!!
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