Presto

August 6, 1927.
13
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
PIANO FACTORY MSTORE SUPPLIES
is also a fine cabinet wood for musical instruments.
It closely resembles Circassian walnut.
A new material for large musical instruments is
That Desirable Characteristic Causes It to Be Em- California redwood, which is used in a Detroit pipe
organ.
ployed Considerably in Manufacture of Musical
Instruments.
OTTO R. TREFZ, JR., MOVES
RESONANCE OF SPRUCE
Progressive Piano Supply House of Philadelphia
Now Located in Its Fine New Building.
The removal recently of Otto R. Trefz, Jr., Phila-
SURFACER FOR MAHOGANY.
delphia, from 2110 Fairmount avenue, to the com-
Spruce takes up and transmits vibrations more per-
The best surfacer for mahogany is bleached shellac,
fectly than any other wood that can be had in and the gum should always be bone-dry, says "Ve- pany's new building, 1305, 1307 and 1309 North 27th
adequate quantities. The cause of spruce resonance neers." Methylated spirits, containing not less than street, is a fact of pleasant significance. It was an
is thought to lie in the wood's long: fibres and in 98 per cent grain alcohol, should be used as a solvent. agreeable necessity caused by a constantly growing
.
their uniform or regular arrangement. The fibres The greatest care should be exercised in using business.
Every year an increasing number of customers
vibrate like so many taut chords. Resonant woods, bleached shellac, owing to its perishable nature.
like spruce and Southern white cedar, are employed
Bleached or white shellac is orange shellac with the come to rely on the stable character of the piano
widely in the manufacture of pianos and similar musi- yellow matter chemically extracted. The chemicals bass strings and other piano parts handled by the
cal instruments. For some other instruments, like used for bleaching shellac are chloride of lime, muri- company. Tuners and repairmen in all sections of
the violin, wood of unusual strength, as maple and atic acid and soda. After the process of bleaching is the country have learned to rely on the commodities
birch, is sought in order to give necessary rigidity.
completed these chemicals are all washed out, so far cata'ogued by Otto R. Trefz, Jr.
The quality of the Trefz piano bass strings is
as possible, and the shellac is then dried. But not-
Of a total of feet of softwoods estimated to be used
dependable. In fact the company has built up its
in the manufacture of musical instruments in this withstanding the utmost care, a small percentage of
business on the unchallenged merits of its line.
country each year, more than fifty per cent is spruce. the chemicals may remain in the shellac and render
White pine is second on the list of softwoods with it perishable after a year cr so. This condition is Other commodities for repairman and tuner arc of
known as "calsing," and may be detected by straining equally high and reliable character. A new catalog
9,000.000 feet used annually.
of piano and player hardware strings, felts and tools
The quality of wood in a violin has much to do through book muslin or cheesecloth. When in this is
now ready.
with the value of the instrument and the old master condition it is impossible to strain it, as the strainer
wi'l
clog
with
what
looks
like
partially
dissolved
makers of violins selected their wood and prepared
gum. Shellac in this condition is entirely unsuited
NEW TANNING FROCESS.
it with as. much care as they bestowed on the actual
shaping and joining. Maple has always been one of for mahogany, as it has lost much of its clear trans-
The German dye trust has developed a new tanning
the finest violin woods and it is nearly always com- parency and will impart a milky cast to the work.
material, according to a report just received by the
bined with some softwood, like pine or spruce.
Department of Commerce from the American Trade
Commissioner at Berlin, William T. Daugherty. It
Hardwoods constitute eighty per cent of all the
IDENTIFYING FOREST TREES.
opens new avenues for wider utilization of wood char-
material furnished by forests to the manufacturers of
Extensive investigation into the matter of the coal. A recent patent taken out by I. G. Farbenin-
musical instruments in this country, or about 20 V
dustrie A. G. is calculated to produce a tanning ma-
(XXUXX) feet annually. Maple heads the list Avith names of forest trees and woods is to be conducted
45,500,000 feet; yellow poplar is second with an soon by the Forest Service Department of Agricul- terial not only effective as such but capable of im-
ture.
In
general,
the
policy
to
be
enforced
in
making
proving the efficiency of other tanning materials.
annual consumption of more than 40,000,000 feet, and
38,000,000 feet of chestnut is used each year. Oak, the investigation is to assign the same name to lum-
elm, birch, basswood, red gum and black walnut ber as the tree from which it is cut and to follow the
A new way to hear the radio and yet enjoy the
follow chestnut on the hardwoods list in the order major botanical grouping of trees. The results are open air on a summer evening has been developed at
being
looked
forward
to
with
interest.
named. Yellow poplar is an excellent cabinet wood,
Baltimore in the form of a park radio concert. This
taking a smooth, fine polish. Highest grade panels
first concert to be broadcast in a park of that city by
may be made of yellow poplar, the casual observer
remote control was recently staged at Patterson
Professor Wells has organized a band and orches-
supposing them to be rosewood or ebony. Red gum tra in Ewing, Ky.
Park.
WESSELL, NICKEL & GROSS
Manufacturers of
MOVING TRUCKS
for
PIANO ACTIONS
HIGHEST GRADE
PIANOS
ONE GRADE ONLY
The Wessell, Nickel & Gross action is a
guarantee of the grade of the instrument
in which it is found.
FACTORIES:
M r T U Y H R r ^
45thSt., 10th A»e. 4W46lh. l^lEi VV
I ^7l\I\.
Orthophonic Victrolas
Electric Refrigerators
OFFICE.
457 w. 45th Street
JULIUS BRECKWOLDT & SON, INC
DOLGEVILLE. N. Y.
Write for catalog and. prices for End Iiucks, oill
Trucks, Hoists, Covers and Special Straps.
Manufactured by
Self-Lifting PianoTruck Co,
Manufacturers of
FINDLAY, OHIO
Piano Backs, Boards, Bridges, Bars,
Traplevers and Mouldings
J BRECKWOLDT, Pros.
W. A. BRECKWOLDT, Sec. & Treat.
THE O. S. KELLY CO.
Manufacturers
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
TELLS ALL ABOUT ALL PIANOS
of High Oracle
PIANO PLATES
SPRINGFIELD
-
-
OHIO
TH E CO MSTOCK, C HENEY & CO.
IVORYTON, CONN
IVORY CUTTERS SINCE 1854
MANUFACTURERS OF
Grand Keys, Actions and Hammers, Upright Keys
Actions and Hammer , Pipe Organ Keys
Piano Forte Ivory for the Trade
1
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/