Piano Restoration with 3D Printing: Leveling Sharps and Beyond

I’m excited to share a breakthrough in our piano restoration process highlighted in our latest video. At Brigham Larson Pianos, we’re always looking for innovative ways to improve our craft, and 3D printing has opened up new possibilities for us. In this video, we feature a really cool solution that one of our technicians, Adeline, came up with for leveling sharps. 

Leveling sharps (the black keys on a piano) typically involves a manual process of adjusting each key to ensure they match the height of the adjacent white keys. This task can be pretty cumbersome and time-consuming, however, Adeline has developed an ingenious way to speed this up using 3D printing!

Adeline used a design program called Onshape to sketch out a tool that would keep the sharp keys steady during the leveling process. This tool prevents the keys from slipping or shifting, making the whole process a whole lot quicker and more precise. By bringing her design to life with 3D printing, Adeline has made our workflow much more efficient and improved the accuracy of our restorations.

This kind of innovation shows how we’re always looking for new ways to use 3D printing in our restoration work. Whether it’s making replacement parts or creating specialized tools, 3D printing is changing the way we do things and helping us improve our craft.

This isn't the only instance our shop uses 3D printing! We love to utilize 3D printing because it offers several benefits, for example: 

1. Precision: 3D printing allows us to create parts and tools with exact specifications, ensuring a perfect fit and optimal performance.
2. Efficiency: Custom tools (like Adeline’s leveling tool) make our restoration processes faster and more efficient, saving time while still maintaining high standards.
3. Innovation: By constantly exploring new ways to use 3D printing, we stay ahead in piano restoration technology and provide our clients with top-notch service.

While innovations like 3D printing provide exciting new ways to enhance restoration capabilities, we know that the process isn’t just about innovation–the end goal is all about preserving the instrument’s integrity and extending its life. At Brigham Larson Pianos, we understand the sentimental value of these instruments and strive to provide the highest level of care and expertise so your family can enjoy a piano for generations. If you’d like to learn more about the techniques we use to restore pianos, feel free to check out our services or see more of our Piano Restoration Blogs. You can also check out more of our videos on 3D printing; 3D Printing Piano Parts Process and Piano 3D Printing!