Music Trade Review

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10
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
OuTTECHNIGAL DEPAKLMENT
:
PLAYER MOTORS.
sheepskin over the hole. When he had done so
and had put the melodeon together, the trouble was
at an end. I had the laugh on the proprietor of
the factory. He then cut out the tremolo from
the bass and put it in the treble, where it would
not do so much harm on account of the natural
rapidity of the beats in the intervals up at that
end."
This strikes me as being something unique. Cer-
tainly I have never come across anything just like
it before. Our friend and brother showed excellent
judgment and a good head. Long life to him!
I wonder if any other reader can match his ex-
perience ?
the process of rough tuning. Neither of these
methods is ideal; both are susceptible of abuse.
The following letter explains itself. It is writ-
But nothing else any better than them—or, indeed,
ten by L. S. Beck, of South Norwood, O.:
as good—has ever been discovered. And, at that,
"Editor, Technical Department—Dear Sir.—I
there are right and wrong ways of rubbing and
have your book, 'Regulation and Repair of Piano
pounding. In the first place the strings should not
and Player Mechanism, together with Tuning as
be rubbed by the chipper so as to excite great fric-
Science and Art,' and like it very much. I have
tion and consequent great heat. One minute of
had a great deal of trouble lately with the motors
continuous rubbing with a stick or steel bar will
of new players. A great number of them work
raise the temperature of a length of steel wire to
all right until the latter part of a roll is reached,
150 degrees Fahrenheit. And this is not a desirable
when they stick or stop. It does not seem to be
thing at all. It is better simply to place the steel
in the motor itself. Could it be in the governor?
bar or stick at the middle part of a newly-strung
If you could give me any information on this
length of wire and then just press backward again
point I should greatly appreciate it."
and again. In this way friction is avoided, and
It is quite probable that motors which stick when
while the process takes a little more time it is
Taking the "Stretch" Out of Strings.
a great load is thrown upon them are suffering
An old friend and valued correspondent from much better in every way.
from bad design in the throw of the cranks. Very
I might add that the stretching out of the strings
Oshawa, Ontario, sends the following questions,
often it will be found that the cranks are so related
which are interesting and valuable. I might say should be done after the first and after the second
to the slide-valve ports that a dead center occurs
that my correspondent is assistant superintendent chipping, and that then a third chipping should
at least once in every revolution. In a recent
be given to take up the results of the second
of one of the largest Canadian piano factories:
number of The Review I discussed this question,
"Editor, Technical Department.—It is a long stretching.
and would refer my correspondent to the sugges-
The "pounding down," as it is called, which
time since I wrote you, but we all know where
tions there made. The governor might possibly
to come when information is needed. The ques- takes place during the process of rough tuning is
be laying down, as it were, when the load has be-
tion has been raised here whether there is any also very important. But it need not be exagger-
come too great. In such a case, perhaps, a little
method in vogue of taking the superfluous 'stretch' ated. A cover or guard for the fingers of the
more space in the gate-box could be arranged for.
out of piano wire before it is strung on the back. tuner should be provided, or else he should use a
I mean that the exhaust slit in the box might be
Candidly, I do not see how this could be done piece of thick felt to intervene between his fingers
made a little larger. Or, again, why not see
without going to a great expense, and perhaps not and the keys. Then he can hammer away to his
whether the governor spring is acting rightly ?
successfully even then. But I thought that if there heart's content without doing any harm to his
Perhaps it needs strengthening. But I am inclined
was any way of doing this you would know of it. hands. It is a very good thing to pound down the
to the belief that the first suggestion is the true
Will you tell me whether any such method is prac- strings of the piano in rough tuning, and this for
solution of the trouble.
ticable, and also if there is any other method than two reasons. In the first place, the whole back and
that of rubbing each string with a rubbing stick or frame of the piano are thus more quickly adapted
Reeds and Beats.
Our old friend, G. W. Jordan, A.G.T., the oldest else pounding the keys in rough tuning? In our to the final strain that they are to receive. In the
member, I believe, of the American Guild of Piano shop we use the best grade of German wire that second place, the piano action is also worked down
in a manner which will ensure the future reliability
Tuners, and one of the most experienced piano we can buy, and while I know that the matter of
men in this country, writes from Santa Barbara, a piano going out of tune should not all be blamed of the regulating and fine regulating. For, if the
Cal., detailing some interesting experiences with on the wire, still I think that if a good deal of the action goes from the action finisher to the regu-
melodeons which took place 'way back in 1866. surplus 'stretch' is taken out of the wire in the lator without having been well "settled" by the
The point he makes is just as apposite to-day as factory, this will go a long way toward making the pounding of rough tuner, it will never be in as good
it was then. Says Brother Jordan: "The story of piano stay in tune when placed in private hands. condition in the future.
This is a case where the old-fashioned methods
the beats in the old six-octave melodeon is some- I shall be glad to hear any suggestions you may
—for a wonder—happen also to be the best ones.
thing I have often wanted to tell. For I have never care to make on this question."
Steel wire, when first strung on to a piano back,
had an experience like it since. It was in 1866.
Communications for this department should be
I was visiting a melodeon factory, and the pro- is exceedingly elastic and possesses a high co-
prietor told me that he had troubles with beats efficient of ductility. The better the wire, other addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
W. B. W.
appearing on the interval C-E3 (the lowest C to things being equal, the more it will stretch. If any The Music Trade Review.
the E a third above middle C). The beat was very method were adopted for "taking the stretch out
BACK AT STEINWAY HALL.
strong and disagreeable, its rate being at least one of" wire, before it was subjected to the natural
per second. Calculating that from C3 to E3 beat strain of tuning, such method would necessarily
Paul Schmidt, one of the members of the fourth
10^ times per second at the pitch of the instru- have the incidental effect of changing the molecu-
generation of the Steinway family and who, after
ment, the natural beat of this low C with its third lar structure of the steel, and probably of weaken-
serving with Steinway & Sons in various capaci-
would be about 2% times per second. But the ing the whole very much. The ductility or sus-
ties in the factory and offices, resigned several years
ceptibility
to
stretching
force
of
steel
is
largely
de-
beat I speak of was above this and distinct from
ago to go to the Pacific Coast for his health, has
pendent upon its chemical constitution. The excess
it, making a most disagreeable impression.
again returned to New York and has become pri-
or
defect
of
carbon
is
an
element
of
great
im-
"The owner of the factory laid the trouble to the
vate secretary to President Charles H. Steinway.
reeds. But I knew that that could not be. So I portance. And if any attempt were made to "take
the
stretch
out
of"
steel
wire,
before
this
had
been
called the foreman and we took a melodeon apart.
The Price & Teeple Piano Co. have opened a
I knew I could find the trouble. And sure enough done naturally in actual use, it is certain that such branch store in Shawnee, Okla., with T. J. Clark,
method
would
have
to
be
conditioned
from
the
out-
I did. They had cut a tremolo hole just below the
State agent for the company, as manager.
set by the chemical constitution of the steel itself.
low C. I told the foreman to glue a piece of
And any change so made would inevitably affect
the toughness, the hardness, the ductility or the
WHAT WE OFFER YOU
solidity of its molecular structure; any of which
affections would be fatal to its quality as music
We hare in easily assimilated form,
wire.
rifkt here in this school, accumulated ex-
The fact is that only one method has ever been
perience that it would take years to gain
either
suggested or made practicable for the "sea-
via the route we traveled. We give you the
soning," as one might say, of steel music wire.
advantage of it in a few weeks. Private,
This is by rubbing down in the factory during the
personal instruction.
We specialize en
process of chipping, and by heavy pounding during
player-piano repairing and regulation
Hammer Head
and
Butt Borer
POLKS SCHOOL OF TUNING,
Valparaiso, Ind,
TUNERS BUY ON SIGHT
BrMe Ribbon Inserter
*P»tent applied for.
No othm tool will w
wnuwfiiUy or qalck-
\j taMMt brUlt riV-
tens whhrat iwner-
bg tW fcan
«%•*. O o r c
wflJabow jm B U T
DOLAN'S BOSTON
TUNERS' OUTFIT CO.
Dept. M. B.
Common * Washington
Streets, Boston. Mass.
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Pianoforte, Player-Piano, Pipe and Reed Organ Toning
The Faust School has recently taken orer the Tuning
Department of the New England Conservatory of Musk.
The principal, Oliver C Faust, has been in charge of that
Sifii>ii>» at the Conservatory for twenty years. The eenne
includes the Tuning, Repairing, Regulating, Voicing,
ig. Var-
Var-
miahing ami Polishing of Pianofortes, Pipe and R d Orgama
and Player-Pianos.
P a
here daily practice m Ckkkering k
27-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
eatsJef
TUNERS SUPPLY CO.
Winter Hill District, BOSTON