EC

Electric Comet

17/07/2016 6:14 PM

recycling piano wood

there are many many free pianos on craigslist

one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
one back to dismantle

and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
might induce some shock and horror and rightly so


the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano


but i do wonder what happens to these

is there a market maybe overseas for pianos

it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill








This topic has 12 replies

BV

Bob Villa

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

17/07/2016 6:52 PM

On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 8:17:49 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:
> there are many many free pianos on craigslist
>
> one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> one back to dismantle
>
> and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
>
>
> the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
>
>
> but i do wonder what happens to these
>
> is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
>
> it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill

Many dry to the point that the pinblock developes cracks and they become untune-able. They de-tune so fast as to become worthless. I would hesitate to scrap the wood and iron from one like this.

b

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

18/07/2016 7:57 AM

I did attempt to strip/salvage an antique upright piano in hopes for some decent lumber...pretty much good for firewood and nothing more. Everything was glued up and veneered.

On Monday, July 18, 2016 at 10:12:38 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 9:17:49 PM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> > there are many many free pianos on craigslist
> >
> > one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> > one back to dismantle
> >
> > and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> > might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
> >
> >
> > the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
> >
> >
> > but i do wonder what happens to these
> >
> > is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
> >
> > it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill
>
> Obviously it depends on the piano, but if they are giving it away on CL,
> odds are that they did their homework and discovered that it not worth
> anything.
>
> My parents had an upright piano for decades, handed down from their parents.
> When we were helping them downsize I called a good friend who is in the piano
> restoration business. As soon as I gave him the name of the piano, he told me
> that it was going to cost me more to have it hauled away than it was worth.
>
> This page discusses the history of piano manufacturing. You can see the
> periods during which pianos were mass produced for schools and homes. You
> will probably find that the freebies on CL are part of this mass marketed
> group.
>
> http://www.cantos.org/Piano/History/marketing.html

Pp

Puckdropper

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

18/07/2016 1:48 AM

Electric Comet <[email protected]> wrote in news:nmhanr$koq$2
@dont-email.me:

> there are many many free pianos on craigslist
>
> one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> one back to dismantle
>
> and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
>
>
> the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
>
>
> but i do wonder what happens to these
>
> is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
>
> it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill
>

I got a few pallets once, and took several hours to take them apart.
After lots of effort, it really didn't yield all that much usable wood.
It's an experience I'll only repeat if I really _really_ want the wood.

A piano is likely to be 10% wood 90% other. What are you going to do
with the other once you get it? Steel was practically worthless when I
took some pool sides in for recycling. (They were talking $25-50 on the
Internet, I got $2. I just wanted them gone.)

Puckdropper

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

18/07/2016 7:12 AM

On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 9:17:49 PM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> there are many many free pianos on craigslist
>
> one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> one back to dismantle
>
> and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
>
>
> the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
>
>
> but i do wonder what happens to these
>
> is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
>
> it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill

Obviously it depends on the piano, but if they are giving it away on CL,
odds are that they did their homework and discovered that it not worth
anything.

My parents had an upright piano for decades, handed down from their parents.
When we were helping them downsize I called a good friend who is in the piano
restoration business. As soon as I gave him the name of the piano, he told me
that it was going to cost me more to have it hauled away than it was worth.

This page discusses the history of piano manufacturing. You can see the
periods during which pianos were mass produced for schools and homes. You
will probably find that the freebies on CL are part of this mass marketed
group.

http://www.cantos.org/Piano/History/marketing.html

JM

John McCoy

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

18/07/2016 8:23 PM

Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote in news:578c356b$0$51803
[email protected]:

> I got a few pallets once, and took several hours to take them apart.
> After lots of effort, it really didn't yield all that much usable wood.
> It's an experience I'll only repeat if I really _really_ want the wood.
>
> A piano is likely to be 10% wood 90% other. What are you going to do
> with the other once you get it?

If it's an old enough piano, the keys will be ivory and
ebony. That's an "other" that's probably well worth having.

John

b

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

19/07/2016 6:44 PM

On Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 9:32:51 PM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Jul 2016 21:41:32 -0400
> FrozenNorth <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > My inlaws had a baby grand Steinway, after my FIL died, my MIL tried
> > to sell it, with no luck, she ended up giving it away, and got a
> > charitable donation tax receipt for its appraised value.
>
> have seen some really beautiful old pianos being offered for free
>
> i did find a program in japan that acquires pianos from overseas
> ships them regularly in containers and refurbs them and then
> they find homes for them in japan
>
> great idea
>
> the business model is not clear and it really seemed like someone
> with the means was doing it just because they could
>
>
> might be wrong on that though

I suspect very few Steinways and the like available/being given away. Most of the pianos I have seen are run of the mill, generic uprights left over from the days when most kids took piano lessons (video games and travel sports hadn't yet been invented)

BV

Bob Villa

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

17/07/2016 6:57 PM

On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 8:52:54 PM UTC-5, Bob Villa wrote:
> On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 8:17:49 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:
> > there are many many free pianos on craigslist
> >
> > one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> > one back to dismantle
> >
> > and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> > might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
> >
> >
> > the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
> >
> >
> > but i do wonder what happens to these
> >
> > is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
> >
> > it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill
>
> Many dry to the point that the pinblock developes cracks and they become untune-able. They de-tune so fast as to become worthless. I would hesitate to scrap the wood and iron from one like this.

That should be "...wouldn't hesitate..."!

Cc

Casper

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

21/07/2016 10:42 AM

FrozenNorth <[email protected]> was heard to mutter:

>My inlaws had a baby grand Steinway, after my FIL died, my MIL tried to
>sell it, with no luck, she ended up giving it away, and got a charitable
>donation tax receipt for its appraised value.

Really? We even have a Steinway shop here and they buy, refurbish and
sell restored Steinways. I could buy a nice car for what those pianos
are going for at that shop. Still, donation is a good thing too.

Ff

FrozenNorth

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

17/07/2016 9:41 PM

On 2016-07-17 9:14 PM, Electric Comet wrote:
> there are many many free pianos on craigslist
>
> one reason i have not used them for wood is because i could not haul
> one back to dismantle
>
> and i did not want to demolish it in sight of the donator because that
> might induce some shock and horror and rightly so
>
>
> the other is just the matter of demoing a perfectly good piano
>
>
> but i do wonder what happens to these
>
> is there a market maybe overseas for pianos
>
> it really seems a shame to think they might end up as landfill
>
My inlaws had a baby grand Steinway, after my FIL died, my MIL tried to
sell it, with no luck, she ended up giving it away, and got a charitable
donation tax receipt for its appraised value.

--
Froz....

EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

19/07/2016 6:29 PM

On Sun, 17 Jul 2016 21:41:32 -0400
FrozenNorth <[email protected]> wrote:

> My inlaws had a baby grand Steinway, after my FIL died, my MIL tried
> to sell it, with no luck, she ended up giving it away, and got a
> charitable donation tax receipt for its appraised value.

have seen some really beautiful old pianos being offered for free

i did find a program in japan that acquires pianos from overseas
ships them regularly in containers and refurbs them and then
they find homes for them in japan

great idea

the business model is not clear and it really seemed like someone
with the means was doing it just because they could


might be wrong on that though







Ff

FrozenNorth

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

21/07/2016 11:22 AM

On 2016-07-21 10:42 AM, Casper wrote:
> FrozenNorth <[email protected]> was heard to mutter:
>
>> My inlaws had a baby grand Steinway, after my FIL died, my MIL tried to
>> sell it, with no luck, she ended up giving it away, and got a charitable
>> donation tax receipt for its appraised value.
>
> Really? We even have a Steinway shop here and they buy, refurbish and
> sell restored Steinways. I could buy a nice car for what those pianos
> are going for at that shop. Still, donation is a good thing too.
>
Interesting, it was in Kingston, Ontario , Canada, wonder if they would
have picked up? Maybe I could have gotten a commission on the referral
to her, never thought of posting about it here.

--
Froz....

EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 17/07/2016 6:14 PM

21/07/2016 8:27 AM

On Thu, 21 Jul 2016 10:42:32 -0400
Casper <[email protected]> wrote:

> Really? We even have a Steinway shop here and they buy, refurbish and
> sell restored Steinways. I could buy a nice car for what those pianos
> are going for at that shop. Still, donation is a good thing too.

i see steinways for free on craigslist now and again

a piano is a liability of sorts due to size and weight











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