I talked with a piano tech/broker who has a client with a 1975 Steinway model M in ebony which has been restored but for some reason there are bubbles in the finish in some spots. Any idea what would cause this and is it difficult/expensive to fix? I have not gone to see the piano as I am going away for 10 days but plan to look at it when I get back if it is still available. The broker did not do the work himself so I have to find out when it was done, what all was done, etc. as well as playing it to see how it feels and sounds. They are asking $15000 but that may be negotiable. I don't know. If the piano is really nice other than the finish and the price comes down I probably could live with the bubbles, but would prefer to fix it, either myself, or someone else. I have refinished antiques for many years, but usually don't work in lacquer or french polish or other factory-type finishes and I am getting a little old to tackle a grand piano. Help?

CHopinlover, if the piano was actually refinished in lacquer, it would be relatively easy for a detail furniture guy to sand out and refinish the bubbled spots and if it is just limited to a small area shouldn't cost that much. If it is overall, that's a completely different story. More importantly, you need to evaluate how it plays and sounds to determine if the refinish work is warranted.

Is this the original finish, or has the piano been refinished?

I was told it was refinished. I assume it was lacquer. I don't know. It looks like the bubble damage is limited to a few places such as one leg, a small part of a side, etc.

It could be that there were silicones on the wood when it was refinished. That would be very difficult to repair. You might check with local furniture stores for someone who does that sort of repair, and get an estimate. You should be able to do that before laying out any money for the piano.

you might not even need to worry about it.. sounds like it is confined to small spaces. M's can be SWEET.

Hopefully this is not a sign of an overall poor restoration job inside as well as outside. Have someone knowledgeable check the piano very carefully for you.

Sophia

Bubbles in a finish that is black can be caused by heat as well as contamination of materials as per BDB’s statement.

Usually black is sitting on top of a number of base coats. The base coats, usually miss tinted colours one can purchase cheaply from the suppliers, fill the grain so that the black cap is a cover coat not directly on the wood surface as it is difficult to make black smooth. It is actually black lacquer paint.

I would have to see the bubbles to be sure but there are two main kinds of bubbles; one is from too much silicone and these are called fish eyes which happen during coating. Oil based contaminates will give similar results as silicone contamination……

The other type is when the black has pulled away from bonding to whatever is underneath.

Little reading for you:
http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/LacTroubleShoot.html

@ Dan, enjoyed your photo galeries, especially The seasons at Silverwood Pianos! Thanks!

Thanks so much to everyone for their help. I intend to go see the piano when I return home from spending some time with grandchildren out of state. If the piano seems like a possible purchase, I will return with a technician to have it really looked over. I know M's can be very nice, but I have had the pleasure of playing an L for the last few years and hope it will measure up. Alas, the L is my daughter's and she is moving and taking it with her.

Hey Mr. Magic,

Glad you enjoyed the photo galleries. The one you have referred to, seasons, is a favorite of many locally and from a distance such as yourself. Funny how that one came about; I will have to do up a posting for my blog about that story.

If we can’t fix the pianos to work properly here then we find other fun uses for them. Once back outside in the elements the instruments soon come apart so a couple of years and a replacement is required.

I seem to have a never-ending supply of raw materials for that project….