Piano Keys on the Floor

Did you know that a piano can be taken apart with nothing more than a straight-slot screwdriver? Or at least it can be taken apart as far as I want to go with one.

Last night I began the process of replacing the center key pads on my piano. I put a sheet on the floor (because the inside of the piano is dusty) and began taking screws out of the piano.

I removed the several long parts that go over the keys before I finally got to the exciting part. I was warned to be sure to number they keys so they don't get mixed up. Otherwise I would face a giant puzzle. Happily when I got all the boards off the top I discovered that the numbers had already been stamped into the wood.

Now all the keys are lined up on a sheet in the living room. It looks weird to see them lying there. They seem so much longer, because they are actually more than twice as long as what you generally see. That also makes it seem like there are not as many of them there.

Then I began taking off the old and decaying center pads. Some of them fell apart in my fingers. I also got out my cordless hand vacuum cleaner. Boy was there a lot of dust and lint under those keys. I rigged the vacuum cleaner up with a straw so I could get into the tight sections. It worked very well.

Now I just need to find replacement pads, get them installed, and put the whole thing back together!