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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
69
THE MAKING OJ^A PIANO PLATE
they create a strain on the slower drying parts
which causes them to twist. But this twisting is
Set Forth in Thoroughly Interesting Manner
done long before the veneer is thoroughly dry.
in Booklet Just Issued by the Matawan Steel
But, even suppose the twist did not come into the
and Iron Co.—What Plate Quality Means.
veneer until it was thoroughly dry, that would not
constitute a valid reason for believing that the ve-
The Matawan Steel and Iron Co., of Matawan,
neer was dry at the time it was being laid, says
N. J., has just issued a most interesting sixteen-
page booklet, giving a host of interesting details Veneers. Because veneer will wrinkle when dry-
ing does not mean that it will straighten out again
regarding the manufacture of the Matawan plates
when it becomes moist. Veneer may be made thor-
for pianos, and the factors that make ' for the
oughly dry and become badly wrinkled, and if
quality of those plates.
stored in a damp basement or other place where it
To those unacquainted with the detail that ou-
might obtain moisture, it will lose its dryness with-
ters into the manufacture of piano plates, the
out losing its wrinkles. K one wishes to be sure
booklet will prove a veritable encyclopedia of in-
that his veneer is dry before being laid, he had
formation. It tells the sort of iron selected for
better have some surer sign than wrinkles.
the plate, how it is selected and why, the ingredi-
ents that are mixed with it to give it the proper
quality for the purpose desired. The booklet also
LIGHT IN THE FINISHING ROOM.
describes the sort of information regarding the Many Finishers Contend That Light Is as Es-
specifications of the piano that must be in the
sential as Air to Proper Drying—Some Inter-
hands of the plate manufacturer before he can
esting Comments Worth Noting.
start to work on the order foi the piano man.
lasting, drilling and finishing of the plate are also
Now and then someone raises the question of
dwelt upon to a considerable extent in this new light in the finishing room, or rather that phase of
publication.
the question covering the effect of light upon the
The plant of the Matawan Steel and Iron Co.. drying of finish. There are some finishers who will
which was founded in 1901, is illustrated, and its contend that light is just as essential as air to
proper drying, and that varnish will dry faster in
facilities described at length. The booklet is well
printed. The front cover is printed in black, with a well lighted room during daylight than it will at
the word "Matawan" showing through in red, the night. Others take a different view of this matter
effect being one that attracts attention. The book- and insist that the drying out of varnish and other
let is intended primarily for distribution among finishing materials is purely a matter of tempera-
the piano dealers, and should afford them some ture and air circulation and that the light has
nothing to do with it. There is room for argument
excellent selling information.
on this question, perhaps, but there are other points
about light in the finishing room well enough estab-
WRINKLES NOT SIGN OF DRYNESS. lished to require but little argument. One of these
is that good daylight is essential in staining if one
Trouble May Be Expected Frequently if Veneer
would maintain uniformity in stain shades, or stain
Is Used Without Redrying, Just Because It
with any degree of exactness whatever shade is
Is Wrinkled, Says Expert.
wanted. The ideal light for th's kind of work is
the same as the ideal light for the artist—light
Recently the writer read an article which said
coming from the north side so that it will remain
that wrinkles in veneer "are a pretty good sign of
practically uniform and not vary materially with
thorough dryness." This is a fallacy, and the man
the passing of the sun as when the light is received
who lays veneer without redrying, under the im- from any of the other three sides. Another thing
pression that because it was wrinkled it was dry, we know is that sunlight shining directly on cither
will certainly find out his mistake when too late. finished or unfinished woodwork has a tendency to
Veneer becomes wrinkled during the process of
bleach out and deaden colors. Therefore the direct
drying and it is an indication of unevenness in rays of the sun should be avoided if one would get
the formation of the wood which made it dry un- and keep the right kind of live color tone in fin-
evenly. Crotch and other fancy figured woods are ished work. To keep finished work fresh or even
more liable to wrinkle than are the plain woods. prepared woodwork before the finish is applied, it
This is because much of the surface is made up, should be stored in a dark place, and especially
in varying degrees, of end wood. This end wood
protected from sunlight.
dries out more rapidly than the parts that have
From all of this we may safely argue that light
no' the open pores exposed so completely to the
air. When these parts begin to dry and shrink, is an excellent thing in the finishing room, as it
enables one to judge stain shades better, and also
makes for greater skill and more satisfactory re-
sults in spreading varnis'h and other finishing
coats. Also, it will perhaps be accepted without
argument that daylight is much better for this kind
CINCINNATI, O. ;:-....
of work than artificial light. The electric light
Importers a n d Manufacturers of people are making wonderful progress, however, in
Figured Mahogany, Circassian Wal- artificial light, and may soon be able to furnish
nut and Foreign Woods for high- something practically as good as daylight. They
grade piano cases and cabinets. are not likely to furnish anything better. So the
The Ohio Veneer Co.
New York Office and Sample Room
Grand Central Palace Building
Lexington Ave. and 46th St.
G. H. V AUG HAN, Eastern Representative
GRLJBB & KOSEGARTEN BROS.
Manufacturers of HIGH GRADE
Piano Manufacturers
r
PATENTS NEW TUNING PEG.
(Special to The Review.)
WASHINGTON,
D.
C\,
April
REG
U.S
PAT
V
OFF
VENEERS
VENEERS
No.
SOSS INVISIBLE HINGES
£
FORT WAYNE, IND.
(Est. 1867)
(Inc. 1004)
Specialties, Hardwood, Veneers, and
Lumber for Musical Instruments.
19. ~— Patent
1,135,347 was last week granted to Joseph Boh-
inann, Chicago, 111., for a tuning peg for musical
instruments. It relates particularly to the tension
devices used for tightening the strings on various
forms of musical instruments, and to the arrange-
ment and mounting of such devices in the head-
pieces.
Among t'.ie objects of this invention are to pro-
vide a simple and efficient tuning peg or tightening
device which may be cheaply made and which may
be readily applied to the headpiece or proper por-
tion of the instrument, and, when so applied, will
occupy comparatively little space and will be dura-
ble and efficient in operation.
The construction and arrangement of this im-
proved device permit its use in instruments hav-
ing a relatively large number of strings and where
there is a limited room for the tuning pegs.
"OUT OF SIGHT
EVER IN MIND"
When you fail
to see an un-
sightly hinge
protruding you
OFFMAN BROS. CO.
n anuf toturtr •
Orange, N. J.
NEW YORK
ideal finishing room, says the Furniture Manufac-
turer, is one that is well lighted, that is well pro-
vided for receiving daylight, preferably from the
north side. When it comes to drying, either in
the finishing room or in any specially provided dry-
ing room, some actual value of light will have to
be demonstrated before it will receive much con-
sideration, and the main factors to provide for arc
temperature, air, circulation and a conditioning of
the air so that it will carry the same percentage
of moisture all the time.
H
WHITE. SON COMPANY
George H. Harper Co.
137 E A S T I3 T -* ST.
The Central Veneer Co., Huntington, W. Va.
N A S S A U , Rensselaer County, N. Y.
530-540 Atlantic Av*nu*. Boston. M a s t .
CFGOEPELACD
•oft yellow poplar for cross band*
Ing U unapproached in this country
A large supply always on hand.
PIANO-FORTE ACTIONS
ORGAN AND PLAYER-PIANO LEATHERS
Has the plating peeled off your
TOP SUPPORTS? Only a
small item to be sure, but care
with the small things is but in-
dicative of the care we exercise
with all items. Try our SUP-
PORTS when again in the
market.
know SOSS is
the answer.
No. 10!
SOSS MFG. GO.
Write to-day*
435 ATLANTIC AVE.
BROOKLYN. N. Y.
Circassian Walnut, Oak, Walnut
and Specializing on Mahogany.
Capacity—5 Million Feet