Old Things Anew

10/30/2024

Finally getting around to posting some pics/video clip of a recent project I completed by repurposing/restoring an inoperative 1880 Kranich & Bach rosewood grand square piano into a gorgeous functional kitchen island with six drawers. I built the internal structure so that it could be fitted with a granite or marble top. It took months to complete, but it was worth it to keep this amazing piece for another 100+ years. Enjoy,...short 50 second 'before & after' video clip.

05/17/2024

Some additional pics for folks who don't do FB Reels (see below reel posting), I recently repurposed an old (~late 1800s) inoperative upright piano into a beautiful fully functioning desk with its original gorgeous wall-mounted intricate wooden inlay with the original brass candle holders fitted with remote-controlled LED flame-lit candles. The desk unit is also fitted with remote-controlled LED lighting and hidden storage compartments. Fully restored the beautiful burl wood finish to museum-quality finish....OldThingsAnew

03/22/2024

I recently completed a commissioned customer piece who wanted to repurpose/restore their inoperative family Everett baby grand piano into a beautiful furniture shelving display unit. The piano has been in their family for decades and they hated to see it destroyed, as many fond memories were associated with it. I was able to completely disassemble the piano and restore the original mahogany piano casing and then built new hardwood maple shelves that were stained and finished in a lighter contrasting color from the original dark brown mahogany casing. The original ivory keys were refitted and the original piano legs were modified to allow the shelving unit to stand in a vertical position against a wall. Remote-controlled LED lighting was installed on the unit that gave the shelving unit a beautiful warm glow against a blue/gray wall with dark-colored wooden flooring. The family was very pleased with the results of this project and I predict it will be around for many generations to come.

02/05/2022

Something new for me. A very special friend and neighbor asked me a few months ago if I would restore an old 1964 Harvest International metal toy truck back to its original state. They had bought this toy for their son, Wesley, who was 2 years old at the time and the toy truck was a replica of the truck his Dad, Clinton Ray, drove for the Arkansas Highway Department at that time. Wesley's Mom, Mary Kay, had kept this well used metal truck for over 50+ years before asking me to restore it for her. I've never taken on a project like this one, but as the attached slideshow depicts I think it turned out pretty good. The last pic shows the truck back in the hands of the original owner after 50+ years.

10/20/2021

A short video compilation (78 seconds) of pics depicting the repurposing of a non-functioning 1844 John Broadwood Chopin Grand Piano into an awesome one-of-a-kind antique display cabinet. Two months of work shown in 78 seconds to get it at the 95% completion status....but a fun & challenging project!

10/15/2021

Recently completed repurposing/restoring a beautiful ornate solid walnut family heirloom piece, circa ~1893 Needham pump organ for a customer in Covington, Louisiana. The first 2 pics are taking from in my shop and the last pic was taken after it was set up in his home.

08/28/2021

It's been a while since I last posted. Recently, I acquired these two amazing non-working antique piano pieces that I hope to repurpose into amazing furniture pieces in the near future. The large concert piano piece was made in 1844 in London which I hope to repurpose as a verticle display cabinet and the other upright piano I plan to make into a desk. Lot's of work to do, but I'm confident these two pieces will become awesome one-of-a-kind special pieces.

04/10/2021

04/10/2021

Recently, I was asked by a new friend if I could save a beautiful antique (circa ~1900) maple highboy chest of drawers & hat storage that was unknowingly severely damaged by termites. It wasn't until I was able to disassemble the piece that a determination could be made on whether it could be restored. Fortunately, most of the termite damage was contained in the internal hidden frame structure which I was able to replace/repair. Happy to report the piece was saved and looks fabulous again. Lesson learned... buy/acquire well-built quality furniture and many times it can be restored back to its original beauty and function.

01/08/2021

Just playing around some with excess parts left over from my most recent project, circa ~1894 John Broadwood & Sons (London, England) rosewood grand concert piano repurpose/restoration project. This wall decor piece is made from the original 125-year old piano mahogany wood keyboard frame & felt hammers. The upper piece could be used to hand jewelry, belts, or other smaller items while the lower felt hammer pieces could be used to hang coats or other decorative items. A unique piece for sure that I'm sure could be used for a lot of other purposes, besides being a great conversation piece. My goal is always to try and find ways to use as much of the pieces as possible for use.

12/19/2020

Back in November this year, I posted a few pics of an old (circa 1894) non-working grand concert rosewood piano that I took in with the hopes of making it into a beautiful & functional piece of antique furniture that would preserve this treasure for decades to come. It's been a whole new experience for me but after lots of thought, labor, and ideas from others, I'm finally into the final finishing stages of this project. I will post a few "in progress" pics of it in this posting with hopes of finishing it up in early 2021. I can envision a unique piece like this one to be used as a display case for special collections (i.e. art, sculptures, china, ceramics, trophies, books, etc). It stands over 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and is made with 99% of the original parts of the piano. It is self-standing, but I would definitely recommend it be secured to a wall for safety purposes. The beauty of the rich Brazilian rosewood will stand out after I complete the finish and in better lighting with a better camera than my phone camera. I will post the final pics in early 2021.

11/11/2020

Just starting a new project piece. It's an old (circa 1894} inoperative rosewood grand piano. It can no longer be used as a musical instrument, so I will need to repurpose it into a beautiful piece of functional furniture. I have some ideas on what I plan to do with it, but open to any suggestions from others. Just finishing the initial demo phase and will start working on a plan soon.