Vintage Baby Grand Refinishing for color and finish type

[Paneldoctor]

Well after 6 or 7 years of owning this beautiful but rough Williams (made in London Ontario Canada) 1910 Ribbon Mahogany Baby Grand it is time to bite the bullett and start the refinish work...

I am a woodworker NOT a Piano Builder so I have some questions.

The finish on it appears to be shellac or lacquer so stripping shouldnt be a big thing.

I like a reddidh cherry/mahogany color, what would you recomment for a stain, gel, wipe on, etc.

Should I refinish it in Shellac or lacquer, I would prefer spraying lacquer.

any help would be appreciated!!

BJ

[Ernie Jurick]

STOP! Do not proceed until you've spoken with a professional piano restorer. Pianos are to woodworking what the space shuttle is to a Cessna. The wrong stripping and refinishing techniques can ruin the sound quality (and value) permanently, and you need special precautions to avoid harming other parts of the instrument while you're working on it. I was working for an auction house years ago when somebody brought in a Bosendorfer (sp?) baby grand, circa 1900. At some point in the 1970s it had been refinished to show off the rosewood. If it had been left alone it would have had a starting bid of $75,000. Refinished as it was, it started at $4,000. I don't recall the closing price, but it was less than a tenth of what it should have brought.

-- Ernie