PRESTO
HELPS TO TUNERS
AND REPAIR MEN
A Weekly Series of Expert Articles on the
Methods and Mysteries of the Harmon-
izers, and Other Correction of
Playerpiano Difficulties.
HOW PLAYER ACTION OPERATES
and inside pressure of 14 pounds to 13 pounds; natur-
ally the outside pressure of 14 pounds pushes the
movable leaf, or cover, of box to closed position.
The greater the difference between pressures, the
more power is given the atmosphere, or air, pressure,
to do its work.
The Pressure Box.
Most of us know what vacuum means; a vacuum,
to my thinking, is the nearest to "nothing" that is
conceivable.
When pumping a player you remove part of air
contained within the action, or "box," thereby reduc-
ing the interior pressure, creating a partial vacuum,
so-called.
Troubles of Practical Tuners, and Others, Are In-
vited for Discussion and Often Explanation
and Solution by Author.
By HENRY L. P E L T I E R .
The power used in manipulating a player is not
vacuum, but atmospheric pressure, or the "push" of
the air against movable elements of player mechan-
ism.
When you pump an action you withdraw atmos-
phere, or air, contained within the action and bellows,
thereby giving the atmosphere, or air, that we
breathe, a chance to do its work.
Atmosphere has a pressure, or pushing power, of
approximately 14^4 pounds to the square inch. I pre-
sume this is the cause of gravitation, but, anyhow,
it is this pressure that does, the real work.
A Demonstration.
A very simple way to see how this works: Take a
cigar box, open up lid about two or three inches;
cover up opening with paper, glued to edges all
around; make a hole anywhere through box so 3'ou
may put a small tube of some kind into opening; now
suck out air contained in box.
• Did you notice lid come to closed position? What
caused it to do so?
When you withdrew air contained in box, you re-
moved some of the pressure, thereby unbalancing
atmosphere.
Presuming atmosphere to have 14 pounds pressure,
you had the same pressure inside of the box before
you removed some by suction; when you removed
air from the interior of box, you reduced the pressure
therein; say you took out about one pound of press-
ure; that would make the inequality between outside
DECKER
mJ
EST. 1856
5L SON
Grand, Upright
and
Welte-Mignon
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
New York
KREITER
The Leading and Most Popular
Pianos and Players
Grands, Players, Uprights and
Reproducing Pianos
The Results of Over Forty Years'
of Experience.
Kreiter Pianos Cover the Entire Line
and no Piano Dealer who tries these in-
struments would supplant them by any
others. A trial will convince.
Kreiter Mfg. Co., Inc.
310-312 W. Water St., Milwaukee, Wis.
Factory: Marinette, Wis.
(1) Music paper. (2) Air duct. (3) Depression chamber.
(4) Vent or bleed. (5) Diaphram. (5%) Valve (6) At-
mosphere post. (7) Air channel. *(8) Pneumatic. (9)
Pneumatic finger. (10) Tracker bar.
Looking at plate No. 2; No. 1 is music paper, No.
2, air duct to diaphragm and vent or bleed; No. 3, de-
pression chamber; 4, vent or bleed; 5, diaphragm;
5J-4, valve; 6, atmosphere port; 7, air channel or way
to pneumatic; 8, pneumatic; 9, pneumatic finger; 10,
tracker bar.
Plate 2 shows construction of a simple action, in
open position.
You will notice that at A No. 1 is closed. Now when
an opening comes across duct No. 2, atmosphere
rushes into chamber under No. 5 diaphragm, which
rises and raises valve No. SYz against cap B, closing
atmosphere port 6, causing air, or atmosphere, in air-
way, 7 and 8, to rush into depression chamber 3, con-
nected to bellows, or pumpers, and out to atmos-
phere.
When air-duct 2 is closed at A, vent or bleed 4
becomes operative and atmosphere contained under
diaphragm S is removed through opening in 4 and
out into depression chamber.
The removal of air under 5, releases same and in
consequence, valve 5l4 is pushed back by the atmos-
pheric pressure, while at the same moment refilling
chamber 7 and pneumatic No. 8 ready for another
operation or repetition.
A small seepage through 4 vent is always present.
If opening in vent 4 is too small, diaphragm 5
operates quickly (on less than half of opening in
tracker bar), but returns to normal too slowly. On
the other hand, if opening is too large, the operation
of 5 will be sluggish, slow or weak.
Best results are when vent opening favors the
small, as the weight of piano action assists in return-
ing pneumatic to normal.
When Dirt Interferes.
Now suppose the opening 4, or vent, is clogged
with dirt, what happens?
Even when duct 2 is closed, the diaphragm 5 be-
comes operative and raises valve 5^2 partly, thereby
causing loss of power, for there will not be enough
pressure underneath same so port 6 will be closed
tight, therefore atmosphere will go right on through
port valve into depression chamber, while at same
time partly removing air or atmosphere out of
chambers 7 and 8, causing pneumatic to close partly.
The same results will prevail if dirt should lodge
between top of valve S>4 and underside of port 6,
not letting valve close tight against port. When
this happens, a sizzling noise is heard; also the same
disturbance occurs when dirt, or a speck of saw-
dust, lodges under valve 5 and its seat.
About half a dozen such leaks will weaken player
considerably.
To remove such obstacles as above (dirt, etc.)
operate valve for a few moments continually under
light and heavy pumping (pressure).
Now suppose we find a weak note when we use
a tester; also find that valve works freely and
quickly?
You would find one of following three causes
makes the trouble:
Not enough valve movement.
Leakage under Valve Cap B.
Punctured pneumatic at C cloth.
John G. Schuler, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., recently
moved to 1301 Jefferson avenue from 1394 Main
street.
November 7, 1925.
THE NORDLUND GRAND
PIANO CO. SELLS OUT
Last of the Many Industries Started by H. P.
Nelson Is Acquired by Muncie Delaware
Piano Co., of Muncie.
The Nordlund Grand Piano Co., makers of small
grands exclusively, with factory at 400 West Erie
street, Chicago, has been sold to the Delaware Piano
Co., of Muncie, Ind. The latter company occupies
the plant of the late Bell Piano Co. in the Indiana
city, and was promoted by Mr. Houston, who was for
a time connected with the house of Grosvenor &
Lapham in Chicago.
The Nordlund Grand Piano Co. was started by the
late H. P. Nelson, who was "backed" by Axel Nord-
lund, manufacturer of phonograph cabinets, who as-
sumed control of the piano factory, which had occu-
pied a portion of his cabinet factory. Mr. Nordlund
produced large quantities of low-priced grands and
for a year past has had Max Richsteig acting as super-
intendent.
Mr. Nordlund did not enjoy the piano end of his
industry and has sought to get out of it for some time
past. The Delaware Piano Co. succeeded to the plant
and other properties of the Bell Bros. Company, of
Muncie, and is now in operation.
The Materials, scales, patterns, etc., of the Nord-
lund Grand Piano Co. will be shipped to Muncie, but
the finished instruments and others in process will be
retained by Mr. Nordlund and disposed of by him as
fast as possible. The Chicago factory will then be
continued in the cabinet industry, with which its pro-
prietor is more familiar.
F. J. WEIDLING CO. WILL
DISCONTINUE MANUFACTURING
Expert Former Superintendent of Old Chicago Piano
Industry Decides Conditions Are Against Him.
About a year ago, F. J. Weidling, one of the ex-
perts who had been with the Smith, Barnes &
Strohber Co., Chicago, as factory superintendent,
embarked in the industry on his own account. He
formed the F. J. Weidling Company and secured the
factory at 3945 Northwestern avenue, which had been
started by the Holzer Piano Co. Mr. Weidling made
his own scales and produced a very fine small grand
piano. But, after a short trial, he found that, while
he could make pianos, he was not adapted to selling
them.
Consequently, Mr. Weidling has decided to retire
from the manufacturing end of it and return to the
services of some established piano industry. He,
therefore, is disposing of his finished instruments at
a sacrifice price, and when he shall have completed
the lot of grands now in the making he will close
his factory.
PREPARE FOR ACTIVE SALES.
The annual dinner of the executives and salesmen
of the Anderson Piano Co., Dayton, O., was held re-
cently in the Miami Hotel, when the expectations of
the coming season were set forth and plans proposed
to meet with an anticipated increase in sales. The
sum of $100,000 was set as the quota for sales during
the last three months of the year, in consideration of
the fact that the total sales for the same period last
year amounted to $73,000. Short talks by members
of the sales force and by Chester D. Anderson, presi-
dent of the company, were the features of the evening.
NEW DETROIT FIRM.
The Manufacturers' Outlet and Storage Sales Co.,
Detroit, Mich., has been organized to carry on a re-
tail music business at 3993 West Grand River avenue.
The new house features the Starr Piano Co.'s line of
pianos and phonographs, and will maintain a second-
hand piano department. George T. Smith, head of
the Smith Special Sales Service, of Detroit, is the
proprietor.
CHANGES IN BATTLE CREEK, MICH.
R. A. Mayfield, formerly with the Baldwin Piano
Co., of St. Louis, Mo., has joined the Charles E. Roat
Music Co., Battle Creek, Mich. E. E. Woods, for-
merly with the City Music Co., of Detroit, Mich., has
been appointed manager of the piano department of
the company.
NEW ALLIANCE MANAGER.
E. C. Burbick, for several years identified with the
Lewis Bros. Co., Alliance O., Victor dealer, has been
appointed manager of the new Cope store in that
place. Before coming to Alliance he was connected
with a retail music house in Canton.
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