Using heat, the warped or twisted hammer shank can be respoitioned, so that the hammer is aligned correctly again.

Hammers can sometimes become misaligned because the shank has twisted.

Pedals like this help to date the piano, along with other features.

This is the inside of this Victorian parlour piano’s top lid. Look at the beautiful veneer finish, even on the inside! And this on a budget, entry-level piano. Nowadays, special veneer finishes on a piano cost a great deal extra.

The Nameboard behind the keys often had both the manufacturer’s and the retailer’s name on it.

The keyboard “lid” on a piano is called the Fall. The slip or batten of wood behind the keys is called the Nameboard. Retailers often put their name here.

This is the serial number. Serial numbers of pianos by the big makers have been collated and published in books, but records from the often short-lived little cottage-industry workshops are long since lost. Muirhead and Turnbull are the retailer, and it is possible that this number is theirs, and not the maker’s.