14/12/2025
Another baby has been sent home to momma! Not everyday you see an Irish made piano - this is a Rippen piano made in Shannon, Co. Clare sometime between 1961 and 1971. A really futuristic design, with a mad case, and a folding down keyboard to aide transport space in containers - unfortunately premature material choices of plastic aided to its early downfall. It's Achilles heel were the connection system for various hammers and keys etc which were made of a plastic that crumbled soon after installation. A few enterprising attempts have been made in recent years in France and the UK to 3D print these with good success, so a local engineering company here in Limerick (www.barflo.com, which is making a super cool beer tap monitoring system btw) has agreed to help me do this - the new parts are pictured below in grey, beside the originals in off-white. On this action, all the damper flanges were replaced, along with a lot of re-pinning of existing parts, plus a full case refinish with lacquer and mahogany dye. Definitely plays more like a keyboard than a standard action piano, but no less interesting for it, and I'm enjoying keeping some local history alive. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0329/1504126-lindner-pianos-history-shannon-co-clare-rippen-family-abba-challenges-problems-innovation/
