Player Piano Revival Episode 4: Replacing Damaged Veneer

This 105-year-old player piano is in dire need of an overhaul if it's ever going to be anything more than just a shelving unit.
I often feel like I'm operating inside a vacuum in my little piano shop. It's time to change that.
Music: QRS Music Roll 7716 Strip Polka ca. 1943, Imperial Music Roll 7348 Big City Blues ca. 1929, QRS Word Roll 8155 Rumors are Flying ca. 1946, Imperial Music Roll 0659 Me and My Shadow, QRS Music Roll 5573 I've Got the World on A String ca. 1932

[@DuoArtOrgan]

Another great video Nate! Nice choice of “Strip Polka” as the opening tune :)

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thanks for noticing, Bruce! It's been fun to look at my piano roll collection in a whole new way.

[@jonmorgan5620]

I'm intrigued by your innovative approach to problem solving, and enjoying your successes along with you. I was fascinated by the variety of wood grain in the different veneers on this piano, as I've never noticed that on piano cabinets before. With a greater appreciation of the labor involved, I think I'll be more curious about the wood grain I see on other pianos.

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Hi Jon - thanks for sticking with me! I hadn't given veneer much thought up until this project. I just thought it was "all the same". Quickly did I learn that's just not true! The figuring on this veneer is very pronounced. It was a struggle to come up with donor pieces that were a good match. I think I came close, but was wishing for better material. Similar to my jokes.

[@lawriefoster5587]

My Father would have been so impressed by you!! He used to craft his
own split bamboo fishing rods.

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

That must be a labor of love.

[@dcallan812]

Nice job, the colour works well with the rest of the piano 2x👍

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thank you! I'll know for sure once the cabinet is all back together. If anything stands out, I may have to make some color adjustments.

[@oldbridgemaker2094]

You're a very resourceful guy Nate! Kinda cool watching you solve problems. Good job.

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thank you! That's the great thing about an old derelict player piano: Loads of new challenges to overcome!

[@greggilbert78]

Great job, Nate!

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thank you Greg! I'm glad to be on the other side of this part of the project!

[@Talhsoma2]

Stumbled across this by accident. I love old pianos, woodworking and puns. SUBSCRIBED!

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thanks for joining!

[@mikefriesdrums]

"smells like Walgreens" 🤣so funny! These videos are really really fantastic!

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

It really did! Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my work :)

[@Pfpfpfpfpf2020]

Here for the veneer 👌

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Thanks for visiting! I learned the bulk of what I know from the videos Tom Johnson (of Tom Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration) has produced over the years.

[@BenjaminDomask]

Amazing! What an upgrade. (And what a load of puns! Lucky us!)
Do ALL pianos have veneer like this? Or just uprights? (I'm thinking about those hoity toity grand pianos over in Steinway-ville?)

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Grands are veneered, too! But their curved cases are laminated and not a single layer of core wood like my demo piece.

[@Ififitzisitz]

13:54 I laughed so hard after I figured that out! 🤣

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

I had it coming.

[@TheComicMaker24]

Love watching your videos, especially since I've ended up with a player piano of my own. Thankfully, the veneer is still in good condition, minus the alligator effect of the varnish. Do you work on pianos for clients too?

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

Yes, I'm lucky to have a backlog of customer projects to not only keep me solvent but also provide means for me to take on my own passion projects like this one.

[@lawriefoster5587]

Super!!

[@billgottesman6106]

Hello Nate, These are wonderfully entertaining and informative. When you slide open one door of your Autopiano, both doors slide. What is the mechanism that makes that work?

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

There is a simple series of linkages connecting the doors. I should make a quick video of that sometime. I have seen this setup on other makes such as Packard/Bond.

[@billgottesman6106]

@@nateoutsidethevacuum Yes, make a quick video!

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

@@billgottesman6106 I'll put it on my "to-do" list for a rainy day. Thanks!

[@gregmize01]

Smells like Walgreens😳

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

I knew the smell as soon as it smacked me in the face.

[@bighoudini6130]

Use automotive body filler instead of puddy will work better last longer and it's fast.

[@wurly164]

Your jokes are really bad......permission to use them? 😂

[@nateoutsidethevacuum]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[@wurly164]

@@nateoutsidethevacuum In my warped sense of humor, it was. Too many years near loud band organs