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Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 10:34 am Post subject: Piano.

I have been asked to dispose of an old piano. I'm reliably informed that piano repairs are a black art and that this one is not worth the bother.
The first is a red rag to a bull and the latter means I can't make it worse, but the question is: what to do after?
It is fairly nice looking wood that ought to be useable to make something (if only kindling

).
Is there anything of use inside of a piano?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46184
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 11:07 am Post subject:

the timber is often very useful to a competent recycle carpenter(a gas meter cupboard and some window sills for instance

)

the frame is quite a bit of ferrous metal but only a few quid as scrap.

the strings are very strong wire ,the naked ones have more uses than the ones with wrapping

if the keys are real ivory they have a value .plastic ones dont .

the frame and strings hung up outside makes a fairly interesting wind harp/pluckable /bashable noisy thing

a charity fundraiser with a big hammer and letterbox combo (pound a chunk posted) can be fun at a fete but h n s issues might preclude that nowadays.

push off a cliff is fun but over rather too soon

other daft uses are available,iirc one was "litter picked" off the top of ben nevis fairly recently and" re engineering" is always an option

Falstaff

Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 1014

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 11:19 am Post subject:
Dunno - If all the strings seem to pling - I'd be tempted to get a price for tuning and flog it on ! Otherwise it looks like a slack handful of cheese wires, some shiny timber and some scrap you can't "weigh in" because of the "new regs" - or Can you ? - Have we done a thread on how to get cash for your old metal ??

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 11:27 am Post subject:
Don't get me started on weighing in: I can't weigh in my scrap just because I don't have a passport. I've had to take up smelting to make it into something else instead...

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 11:49 am Post subject:
My experience of various shonkey pianos via freecycle is that it's not so much whether they sound right after they are tuned, but how long they stay like that - that's what makes them worth it or not. I reckon you could turn one in to very luxurious bantam accommodation with a bit of planning .

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46184
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 12:09 pm Post subject:
unless it is a top end one the timber will be a mixed batch ,a few bits might be decent hardwood but much will be veneered board which is not very weatherproof which makes outdoor use a bit tricky

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 12:12 pm Post subject:
Would a nursery take it for preschoolers to bash? I'm sure they'd love it and wouldn't mind about the tune (the staff might be another story!)

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46184
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 12:18 pm Post subject:

the last one i had to deal with was a mid range antique baby grand.

it went to a good home but cost em £500 to transport it,it is a buyers market for pianos unless it is very special.

with the lower end ones the noises they make are so horrible and the size ,finger trapping etc etc makes them quite unpopular in schools.

a leccy keyboard sounds nice ,has volume control ,is small and can be got for less than the price of 4 blokes and a van for a couple of hours.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 12:52 pm Post subject:
Make a piano desk... https://www.pianoworld.com/pianodesk2.htm

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 2:50 pm Post subject:
I like those. Quieter, too.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 3:06 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

Don't get me started on weighing in: I can't weigh in my scrap just because I don't have a passport. I've had to take up smelting to make it into something else instead...

Use your driving license. They only need photo ID.

As for the piano, you can't give them away, usually. I know of two needing homes right now.

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 5:19 pm Post subject:
Wot Nick said - photo ID and utility bill - and you can't give em away Put 'piano' in ebay, cheapest first, and you'll see what the market for broken pianos is like. Unless it's very ornate and could be turned into furniture, I would go for dropping from a great height.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 6:32 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Use your driving license. They only need photo ID.

I only got the paper one. Is not really a big problem.

Quote:

As for the piano, you can't give them away, usually.

I know...

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 7:18 pm Post subject:

Chez wrote:

I reckon you could turn one in to very luxurious bantam accommodation with a bit of planning

I seem to recall a very scathing coment last time we discussed chicken houses, I'm not in a position to keep chickens myself and I don't know where to start with their housing requirements, but other than that, I think this is the best suggestion so far...

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46184
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 15 8:33 pm Post subject:
the gravity thing does make a great noise and makes the bits smaller

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