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THE
MARCH 8, 1924
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
11
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
Conducted By William Braid White
and so the insect comes to the surface. It is
futile to plug the hole against him, for he will
simply bore another hole. We kept one bug
under observation and found that as quickly as
we plugged one hole against him he bored
Entomological Solutions for the Problem Posed by a Tuner to This Department Who Has Found another. This he can do sometimes overnight.
an Instrument Invaded—A Tuner From Far-off Alaska Offers His Contribution to
"If any one wants to know more on the sub-
the Solution of the Proper Kind of Spruce for the Soundboard
ject it is only necessary to write to the Bureau
of Entomology, Department of Agriculture,
H E R E is nothing like asking for what about worm-eaten panels, etc., in a piano twenty Washington, D. C, describing the nature of the
one wants to know. Here is quite a sheaf
years old, I should say that Mr. Kuebler with- trouble, and the Bureau will send the proper
of letters in answer to my recent appeal out a doubt has run across that pernicious little literature covering the subject.
for information to enable me to tell a gentleman borer, commonly called the Beetle Post Bug.
"On the other hand, Brother Kuebler would
what to do about a piano which has been in- Its chief meal is ash or chestnut wood and it piobably save time and money by getting a
vaded by sonic sort of worm, as he called it. rarely attacks other woods with a like voracity. new panel. Alfred Brooker, Cincinnati, O."
All arc very interesting, and I confess that I There is no cure for it worth while, save the
Direct Action
have learned a lot by reading them.
heroic cure of submerging the affected piece
And here is an advocate of direct action. He
in kerosene. This bug is a borer from within, says quite simply: "Dear Mr. White—Gasoline
The first is from H. H. Conrad, a tuner of
Wilkes-Harre, Pa., who does not think it is a that is to say, in fact, a Bolshevist Parasite. It or benzine applied in the openings freely will
worm at all. Says he: "Dear Mr. White: The has a cumbersome technical name which, how- put an end to the worm family. I have found
insect which is gradually reducing Mr. Kuebler's ever, does not matter.
by experience that gasoline is instant death to
panel and back pin block to a mass of holes is
"This bug will attack a pile of lumber and a worm, beetle or insect of any kind if it is
probably a certain little beetle, rarely more than make all of it unfit for piano construc- applied directly. Yours very truly, Benjamin
a quarter inch long, usually cinnamon brown in tion. Out of one pile of lumber which was More-land, Cumberland, Md."
color, though not always so, which belongs to bought for grand piano rims we had seventy-
Comment
the family Ptinidae. From its habits as de- five rims literally shot with holes which did
Most of us are aware, doubtless, that among
scribed I should class this one as one of the not show in a single instance until the wood
the superstitious there still lingers a belief in
so-called Powder-post I'>eetles, which work in- was being polished.
the so-called "Death-watch," which, of course,
side wooden structures, often producing a tap-
"This insect's larvae or eggs are deposited in is merely the ticking sound produced by beetles
ping noise. This beetle has been known to the softest part of the lumber and are neither
of the Ptinidae family striking with their man-
attack hard woods such as oak, hickory, ash
destroyed nor rendered sterile by steaming or dibles the wood within which they are enclosed.
and maple, as well as various others used in
heat drying. When the egg incubates the re- Also everybody in the piano business knows
cabinet work.
sulting bug begins to bore a hole in wood all by this time that so-called "wormy chestnut"
round himself and produces a fair-sized hole in is much used for core stock. This is simply
"If the beetle has been working for some time
it is possible that by now the interior of the which he lives until he is ready to emerge. If chestnut which has been perforated by these
wood is pretty well perforated and if only the varnish is applied to the surface of the wood insects but which is otherwise uninjured. The
panel has thus been injured I should recom- this excludes air from the interior, of course,
(Continued on page 12)
mend getting a new one.
"The beetle can be killed by putting the affected
pieces of wood into a chamber filled with cyanic
acid gas and leaving it there for an hour, which
will be long enough to ensure that the gas will
penetrate all the holes.
"Cyanic acid gas, by the way, is exceedingly
poisonous and should be used only by some
one who has some knowledge of its properties.
It has a slight corrosive effect upon metal.
"For an accurate classification of the insect
I.VILIZATION, from its heginning, has linked musical instru-
one would need, of course, a specimen of the
ments close to the family hearthstone. Today, the piano holds
beetle or an accurate description. Very truly
the place of distinction. Fitting, then, that this instrument of
yours, H. H. Conrad, Wilkes-Barre, Pa."
masterful attainments he given a fine outer personality—a cahinet
Another Entomological Solution
finish deserving respect.
And here comes Alfred Brooker, of Cincin-
nati, who ariseth and saith:
Not as one customer complained: "My piano was valued in my home
"Dear Mr. White: Answering the query
as a fine possession, its musical tone was of rich quality. Yet this
Methods of Overcoming Worms in Pianos
and the Proper Spruce for Soundboards
T
Piano Personality
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One of the surest ways to increase
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your chance of making a sale is greatly
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"How to Repair Damage to Var-
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It will interest any Sealer, tuner or
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If you are too busy to write a letter, pin
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instrument, after two years, was sadly unattractive with check marks
and cracks."
Hilo Varnishes have kept faith for manufacturers, guarding the per-
sonality of their instruments.
You should prove that to yourself, through tests of Hilo Varnishes
conducted in your plant. Your inquiry will he valued.
H I L O VARNISH CORPORATION
(Moller & Schumann Co.)
The M. L. Campbell Company
2328 Penn
1 Gerry St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Kamai City. Mo.
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BASS STRINGS
Sneelal arUntlea alvea to tka aMdi t f tto tuner and the dealer
OTTO R.TREFZ, Jr.
3110 Kairmoiinl Avenu*
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Pioneer school of piano, player-piano and Reproducing
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