We just got an old McPhail piano which is going to be our project. We are teaching ourselves to fix up and tune pianos as a summer hobby. Can I refinish a piano like I would any other piece of furnature? Use a sander or paint thinner to take off the old paint and then stain it or paint it? Do I have to take the whole thing apart? Will the process effect the sound? Any tips on the right way of doing this? Any tips on what not to do? Should I just leave it alone?
Also, some of the ivory key tops are missing. Where might I get replacements? Could I take them from another old piano, and would they fit?
Thanks for your help!

Refinishing a piano takes about 200 hours. This piano probably needs time consuming mechanical repair too. I would determine the mechanical condition before deciding to invest the time in refinishing. It is easy for someone to get in over their head trying to rebuild a piano.

You can refinish it like any other veneer furniture (no dipping, use chemical stripper).

Don't sand though the veneer 1/16 inch thick.

It won't change the tone

Replacement ivories probably won't match. You can recover the keys with plastic.