Replacing Upright Casters

Focus On: Replacing Upright Casters The Piano Owner's Heads-Up Guide to Important Piano Maintenance New socket being installed. The job of replacing the casters on an upright piano can ordinarily be accomplished in the home. Using a piano tilter, the piano will be gently tipped onto its back. The old casters and sockets will first be removed and any needed structural repairs will be made. The new set of sockets and casters will then be installed and tested for clearance. - Jema Pianos Traditional steel casters found on most vintage upright pianos are often in need of replacement. Even when these old-style cast- ers are in optimum condition, a piano so equipped is difficult to move. What's worse, the hard metal of the wheels tends to leave marks or gouges on many modern flooring surfaces. When steel casters go bad and start to seize up, real damage can be done to a floor. Imagine attempting to drag a heavy up- right piano across a good wooden or lami- nate floor with casters in the condition of the one in the above photo. (Not to mention the backbreaking work involved in moving a pi- ano from point A to point B in a room with a uncooperative set of casters.) The casters on your piano are of this old steel variety, and as such could stand to be replaced. A new set of twin rubber-fiber casters would greatly improve the ease with which your piano could be moved. When the piano is put back on its feet again, a dramatic improvement should be noted in the mobility of the piano. Damage to flooring surfaces will also be much less likely with the new set of casters.