Where to buy a specialty replacement hinge for a piano bench

July 21, 2020 9:27 AM

Where can I find replacement hinges for a piano bench?

Due to an unfortunate lack of understanding of how hinges work on the part of certain unnamed members of my family, the hinges on our brand new (to us) piano bench that came with our brand new (to us) Kawai upright piano have been irreparably broken. They're easy enough to remove, which suggests they'd be easy enough to replace, if I could just find replacements, but for the life of me I can't find them anywhere online. Do you know where I could get a new set?

Here's a picture of the less-damaged of the two hinges. They're an unusual shape and the only ones I've been able to find online, these ones at Amazon, are too big. The ones on our bench are 1 3/4 inches wide, the two flat surfaces that touch each other when the lid is closed are 1/2 inch deep apiece, and the "lip" that curls down off of the bottom hinge is 3/8 of an inch deep.

I've tried emailing Kawai directly, but haven't heard anything back. I've also seen this Reddit thread but so far I've struck out looking at Rockler and Woodcraft. Before I call Lee Valley I turn to you. Help me fix my bench!

posted by saladin to Shopping (10 answers total)

Instead of thinking of this as a woodworking problem, think of it as a piano problem and call your Friendly Local Piano Store; even if you didn't buy the piano there they may have some advice.
posted by madcaptenor at 9:42 AM on July 21, 2020

If you strike out on getting the exact part, I would think that a regular hinge that doesn't curl down around the rim would work fine, as long as there were 2-3 screws holding it to the top of the rim (so you might need to drill a couple of extra holes).
posted by mekily at 9:43 AM on July 21, 2020

Yes, I would call a local piano store or local piano repair person. If you don't get the exact right spring and install it correctly it may never close correctly again.

As a last resort find a local machinist who can make you one.
posted by bondcliff at 9:48 AM on July 21, 2020

Find out which is the best hardware store around. take the hinge to them. They will be able to get you a replacement or, at the very least, tell you what it's called.
posted by theora55 at 9:53 AM on July 21, 2020

I had a lot of luck finding no-mortise lid hinges for 3/4" material, but if I understand you correctly you need one for 1/2"? That's a term you could use to further the hunt, but I concur with the suggestion to hit up your local piano store. All the better if they're a Kawaii dealer.
posted by kate4914 at 10:08 AM on July 21, 2020

Piano dealer is a great suggestion. Our local piano store is run by a bigot who was recently arrested for shouting homophobic slurs at a waiter and then attacking a female manager so I'm gonna steer clear of them but apparently there's a Kawai dealer down in Ocala so I've sent them a message. In the meantime though if anybody's got a line on a replacement please let me know. Thanks!
posted by saladin at 10:27 AM on July 21, 2020

There are piano tuners and restorers in my family, in Pinellas County Florida. If your message to the Kawai dealer leads nowhere, MeFi mail me and I'll send you some contact info.
posted by tomierna at 11:08 AM on July 21, 2020

I think they're called wrap-around hinges; they're often used for window shutters. I found a few here, but none of them appears to be a perfect match. But the search term might help.
posted by pipeski at 11:11 AM on July 21, 2020

You are assuming that you need a part measured in inches, when it's a Japanese bench. It's far more likely to be metric in dimensions, e.g. exactly 4.5 cm across.
posted by w0mbat at 2:02 PM on July 21, 2020

If a piano dealer can't help you, I'd ask the folks at Rockler. They've always been super helpful with identifying and locating hard-to-find hardware.
posted by xedrik at 6:51 AM on July 22, 2020