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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
APRIL 22, 1922
11
OuiTECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE
RESTR1NGING OLD PIANOS
Some Advice on This Important Phase of the
Tuner's Work
"Dear Mr. White: Could you give me some
suggestions and rules for restringing an old
upright piano which is to receive also a com-
plete new action? The bridge and sound board
are in good condition. Sincerely, Eugen Sme-
tana, Philadelphia."
It is a pleasure to do what I can for the Phila-
delphia brother, who, in answer to my request,
tells me that he is a distant cousin of the great
composer of the same name.
Seeing that the sound board and bridges of the
old piano are in good condition the first thing to
do is to go carefully over the plain wire strings
with the gauge to discover what sizes are used in
the stringing, and where. Of course, if the
stringer in the first place left a record on the
plate of the gauges he used that will simplify
matters.
The next thing to do is to let down the string
tension gradually. Taking a T-hammer one
should go over the piano from end to end, let-
ting down one string in each unison till all tone
is gone out of it. Then the next string in each
unison may be let down from end to end and,
finally, the last string of each group. If the
strings are cut across when pulled up, or if they
are let down unison by unison, there may be
trouble, owing to the redistribution of the strains
on the plate during the process.
The next thing to do is to take off the bass
strings one by one. As each string is taken
off it should be hung on a piece of soft wire by
its eye. One end of this soft wire should be
Make Music Rolls
machine and make a liberal commission.
Free instruction manual. Price of complete outfit, $12.50. Send
for details.
LEABARJAN MFG. CO.
HAMILTON, O.
DEAGAN TUNING FORKS
VIBRATIONS GUARANTEED
8«fiM "One Seventy"
A-440. Bb-466.2 and C-52S.3
(A-43S If desired)
PRICE. 60o. EACH
J. C.
*
,
Deagan Building
lnC. t
1786 Bartcan Arcane, Chiefo
URN YOUR STRAIGHT
PIANOS INTO PLAYERS
T
Individual pneumatic stacks, roll
boxes, bellows, pedal actions,
expression boxes.
Manufacturers, dealers, tuners
and repair men supplied with
player actions for straight pianos.
JENKINSON PLAYER ACTION CO., Inc.
912-914 Elm St.
Cincinnati, O.
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piaa* Tnaiac. Pip« »od Reed Org••
*ad Player Pita*. Year B»«k Free.
27-29 G*insboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
turned up and then the bass strings may be kept
together in their proper order.
In taking off bass or other strings it is im-
portant not to turn the tuning pins out too far.
I prefer to cut off the string just above the pres-
sure bar after the pin has been turned enough to
make the wire sufficiently slack. Then the bit
of wire remaining in the tuning pin's eye and
in a coil around the pin can easily be unwrapped
without turning the pin any further.
When the entire scale is cleared, both of bass
and plain wire strings, in this way it will be well
to go over the sound board very carefully. Now
will be the time to repair worn felts, clean out
dirt and see that the bridges are in perfect con-
dition. The sound board can be washed with
soap and water. The plate should be very care-
fully cleaned of all dust and dirt. All the tapes
and felt strips on the plate should be renewed.
The spaces between the pins should be cleaned
and the plate bolts tightened till they no longer
move under easy pressure. The screws behind
the bridges may be tightened and the pressure
bar turned down if its screws appear to be loose.
The bass strings should now be sent, hanging
as they are on the wire, to a bass string maker,
to be used as patterns for a new set. Meanwhile,
the operator may begin the stringing of the plain
wire. First let coils of each gauge needed be
placed in a box filled with powdered chalk, or
what is called whiting. Then let the tuning
pins be gone over by turning them with a T-
hammer, so that any greasiness, sticking or jump-
ing can be detected in advance. Pins which
seem loose may be extracted carefully by turning
them out, counter-clockwise, and either chalked to
dry off any moisture or put aside in favor of new
and larger pins. When this has been done the
stringing can begin in earnest.
It is best to start at the extreme treble end.
The coil of wire is looped over a reel, if one can
be devised, and the operator takes care to keep
his moist hands constantly dry with the chalk in
the box. One end of the wire is drawn under
the pressure bar and brought into the eye of the
pin. Then the pin is turned till the wire has
been coiled around three times. To make a neat
coil some finger pressure will be needed. But as
soon as the wire is coiled around, even if roughly,
the wire is looped over the hitch pin, over the
bridge pins and brought back to the next tuning
pin. Then it should be cut off at a point three
fingers breadth behind the eye of the new pin,
The severed end is then taken through the eye of
the pin and the latter turned till the spare wire is
coiled.
The operator then takes his string-lifter and
places it under the first coil. He then turns the
pin with the T-hammer till he has wound the
coils firmly around the pin in contact with each
other, making a neat job. This operation is re-
peated at the second coil, and so on.
The third pin will then be taken up, and the
end of the wire, after leaving it, will be run
around the hitch pin to the first pin of the next
unison. In this way the whole job of stringing
will be carried on, down to the beginning of the
covered wire.
It is very necessary not to pull up the wire too
tightly at first. Only after all the stringing is
finished should the wire be pulled up to tone-
producing tightness.
When the bass strings arc beincj put on one
(Continued on page 12)
HARLEM PIANO & ORGAN KEY CO.
Before
KEY REPAIRING AND NEW WORK
Ivorine, Celluloid and Composition Keys
A Specialty
Best Work
Lowest Prices
Send all work parcels post. Give us trial order.
121-123 East 126th Street
New York. N. Y.
VALUABLE BOOK
ON REFINISHING
M. L. CAMPBELL CO.
2328 Penn St.
TUNERS
RE JU VENATOR
For Checked Varnish
REJUVENATOR will make checked and
cracked varnish like new.
REJUVENATOR eliminates all checks and
cracks.
REJUVENATOR restores scorched or
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REJUVENATOR is easily applied and dries
ready to handle in two hours.
FREE
Just send your name and address and get this
free book, which tells how damaged or worn
surfaces, in any finish, can quickly and
easily be made NEW again.
Every dealer, repair man and re-
finisher should read it. Sent post-
paid—no cost, no obligation.
Write for it now—a card will do.
After
$7.00 PER GALLON
Money Back H Not Satisfied
ARTROLA PLAYER CO.
If you are doing a Player Installation Business
we can furnish Actions for Any Piano
224 N. Sheldon Street
CHICAGO, ILL.
Kansas City, Mo.
In it's 20?year>
wHh upwards of
1OOO
Here are
BASS STRINGS
SUCCESSFUL
GRADUATES
•peelal attcatlea flvei to th« need! ef the hiser aad the dw«U»
OTTO R. TREFZ, Jr.
3110 Falrmount Arenue
Philadelphia, r».
The TUNER'S FRIEND
" r-TT
-- m —***""
x
- ^ Q C OURT HOUSE S<1
VALPARAISO : IND.
Repair Parts and Tools of
Every Description
Send for New Prices
New style all leather bridle strap
BRAUNSDORF'S ALL LEATHER BRIDLE STRAPS
Labor Saving; Mouse Proof;
Send for Samples.
Guaranteed a l l one length
Prices on Request
Fells and Cloths In any Quantities
GEO. W. BRAUNSDORF, Inc.,
Braunsdorf's Other Specialties
Taper, Felt and Cloth
Punchings, Fibre Washers
and Bridges for
Pianos, Organs and
Player Actions
Office and Factory:
480 East 53rd St., New York