Piano Bench
Frank H. Weeden
Whether or not it is an antique, I do not know, however,
inside of the bench, there is a blue and gold sticker that
says, "The Manual Arts Furniture Company." It's a rather
plain looking bench, but VERY sturdy, and is put together
with strong metal brackets at each of the four corners.
The brackets themselves are somewhat oxidized, leading
me to believe that the bench is most likely, very old.
I looked for a serial number or some other distinguishing
mark, but there are none. It would be interesting to track
down the Manual Arts Furniture Company, if they are still
in business, and see if they could give me a general idea,
but that's probably an impossibility...
-Frank
Ed Foote
>down the Manual Arts Furniture Company, if they are still
>in business, and see if they could give me a general idea,
>but that's probably an impossibility.
Mafco went out of business several years ago.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
Well-tempered CD's at Gasparo.com.
GSCD #332, "Beethoven In the Temperaments"
GSCD #344 . "Six Degrees of Tonality"
Caution, these CD's contain pure intervals and extensive liner notes!
Frank H. Weeden
>
> Mafco went out of business several years ago.
Oh well... Anyway, it's a very good bench, and I've
restored the finish on it. I'm very pleased with its
quality.
All The Best,
-Frank
Mary Catherine Watson
The people you acquired the bench from might have some answers about its
history. Also, metal doesnt need to be of antique age to oxidize - damp
will do the trick. If you wanted to track down the manufacturer, try asking
at a really good furniture store in your area for some leads, or have a look
at some books on the subject at a library.
Cheers,
Cathy
Frank H. Weeden wrote in message <3D3AEBAD...@charter.net>...
Frank H. Weeden
>
> HI Frank
>
> The people you acquired the bench from might have some answers about its
> history. Also, metal doesnt need to be of antique age to oxidize - damp
> will do the trick. If you wanted to track down the manufacturer, try asking
> at a really good furniture store in your area for some leads, or have a look
> at some books on the subject at a library.
> Cheers,
> Cathy
Great ideas, Cathy. Thank you!
-Frank
pianoguy
> I recently came into possession of a rather old piano bench.
> Whether or not it is an antique, I do not know, however,
> inside of the bench, there is a blue and gold sticker that
> says, "The Manual Arts Furniture Company." It's a rather
> plain looking bench, but VERY sturdy, and is put together
> with strong metal brackets at each of the four corners.
> The brackets themselves are somewhat oxidized, leading
> me to believe that the bench is most likely, very old.
I bought hundreds of benches from Manual Arts in the 60s, 70s and
I believe into the 80s. They were a source of reasonably priced
decently made benches that dealers could include with their used
pianos. They are not antiques. They also sold lamps, music cabinets,
metronomes, etc.
I've seen discoloration on the corner brackets when they were new,
handling during installation could cause them to oxidize.
--
John Inzer
pianoguy
return e-mail disabled
PianoTunerMan
Frank H. Weeden
>
> I bought hundreds of benches from Manual Arts in the 60s, 70s and
> I believe into the 80s. They were a source of reasonably priced
> decently made benches that dealers could include with their used
> pianos. They are not antiques. They also sold lamps, music cabinets,
> metronomes, etc.
>
> I've seen discoloration on the corner brackets when they were new,
> handling during installation could cause them to oxidize.
Thanks again. I bought it for $38.00 at a second-hand store
that billed itself as an antique dealer. I didn't care about
the age of the bench. It was the only one in town and the price
was right. <G> But, the bench itself matches the finish of the
piano, and I've never seen a sturdier piece of furniture in my
life. I'm very pleased with it.
-Frank
Frank H. Weeden
>
> Manual Arts is now GRK Manufacturing Co.
I found them on the Web. Thanks.
-Frank