Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE REVIEW'S. TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT.
a space of about five-sixteenths of an inch be-
tween the eye of the pin and the surface of the
plate or wrest-plank.
We have been asked to examine a sample of
the "flange shield" manufactured by the Piano
Flange Shield Co., of St. Louis, Mo. This little
contrivance is in the form of a light skeleton
If the old pins are to be used, it will be cover which fits entirely over the wooden flanges
necessary to hammer them down in the wrest- of the action, and is provided with arms that
plank when the strings are coiled on, and if extend over and cover the extremities of the
there is not enough space to do this conveniently, flange where the center pins are bushed. The
then it will be necessary to remove the old pins idea is to protect the flange from the frequent
and insert new ones of a size larger. There troubles which come from pins working out of
ought to be at least five-sixteenths of an inch their bushings, from bushings coming loose, and
space between the eye of the pin and the sur- otner defects of the same kind. The shield is
face of the wrest-plank. If there is less than made of spring metal and is curved so that when
this, it is better to remove the pins; otherwise it is placed on the flange, and the screw is tight-
the hammering down will bring the eyes so close ened, the curve is flattened out, producing a
to the surface of the wrest-plank that the bear- spring tension that holds the screw against the
ing will become too sharp and the strings will possible shrinking of the wood. This is appar-
ently a good thing, and should be investigated.
be liable to break.
The sound-board and wrest-plank should be well The basic idea of the spring tension was un-
cleaned when the old strings are removed, and doubtedly suggested by the famous patent em-
the felt that is placed under them between the ployed by the house of Kranich & Bach, where
pins and bearing bridge should be brushed up a coiled brass spring is inserted between each
action screw and the wood into which the latter
and, if necessary, renewed.
It will occasionally be found that a wrest- is driven. The flange shield certainly has the
plank is split. When this happens, if the strings ear-marks of utility, and ought to be investi-
have been removed, the plank may be brought gated by manufacturers of new pianos and re-
together by forcing glue into the split and driv- pairers of old ones.
Something of the sort has doubtless often been
ing heavy bolts clear through the plank and out
on the other side, where they may be secured sighed for by tuners and repairers, and most
and tightened with nuts. Supply houses can people will probably wonder why it has never
furnish these bolts and nuts, and they may be before occurred to anyone to put such a device
placed in the same positions as the ordinary lag upon the market. But then it must be remem-
screws that always go partially through the bered that as long as none of us have ever
wrest-plank. In such cases the ordinary holes thought out the problem for ourselves, we have
will have to be reamed out and continued right no right to be captious when others take their
through the plank. But tuners who have had no time in solving it. "Ex facto facile scire est."
factory experience should be very careful about Selah.
attempting such heroic remedies. Mistakes are
Communications for the department should be
likely to happen, and when once committed are
addressed to the Editor, Technical Department,
not so easily remedied.
The Music Trade Review.
Regarding the bass strings, these, of course,
have to be made to order, and it is therefore
BACH OPENS IN FARIBAULT, MINN.
necessary to supply the manufacturer with the
R. H. Bach, of Owatonna, Minn., is arranging
necessary data in order that he may make the
to open a branch store in Faribault. He has se-
new strings after the desired pattern. In order
cured quarters in the Arlington Building on
to do this the .old strings may be sent, if pre-
Main stree 1 , where he will carry a large line of
ferred. But this is not the best way to manage
instruments, the business being operated under
the matter, as the proportions of the old strings
the title of R. H. Bach & Bro., with Arthur Bach
will have been much distorted by wear, and will
in charge. R. H. Bach, the senior member of the
not afford a satisfactory or correct guide. It is
house, was Mayor of Owatonna for one term.
much better to take an impression with paper
of the bass section, showing by pencil marks the
C. H. UTLEY'S HANDSOME STORE.
position of the pin, bearing bridge, belly bridge
and hitch pins. Then the first and last string
C. H. Utley, who represents the Chickering,
of the section should be sent in order to show Emerson and Sterling line in Buffalo, formally
the thickness, and a statement must be supplied opened his new store on Main street, that city,
of the total number of strings and of their ar- last week. It is magnificently decorated and
rangement, as single, double and triple, and of
furnished, and affords magnificent opportunities
the nature of the winding, whether copper or
for displaying, to the greatest advantage, the
iron. This method will make it easy for the
handsome line carried by Mr. Utley.
string maker to supply perfect copies of old sets.
In making estimates on re-stringing, the tuner
Johnson Bros., of York, Neb., are building up
must not forget that the work will also involve a very excellent piano trade in that town and
a number of separate chippings. and tunings. vicinity.
As a general thing, when a new set of strings
have been put on a piano they should be chipped
up three times at intervals of twenty-four hours,
and should then be given four or five tunings
at intervals of a week, although the last two
may be done within one week if required. This
plan takes rather more time, but is to be recom-
D O N ' T purchase any
mended on the score of thoroughness.
new tools until you have
As far as concerns the work of placing the
new strings, let the operator be very careful to
consulted our catalogue!
see that each string is close down on the hitch
We make a specialty of
pin, and that all of the lattej are tight and
sound. This must be attended to before the
TUNERS' TOOLS, OUTFITS
strings are tightened. It is also proper to weave
and SUPPLIES at very
a long strip of felt through the dead ends of
reasonable prices.
the strings between the belly bridge and hitch
pins. This has the effect of stopping any in-
duced overtones or rattlings. The pins must
always be hammered down very evenly as soon
THE TUNERS' SUPPLY CO.
as the strings have been tightened, and before
any attempt is made to bring them in to accord
FRANKLIN SQUARE,
BOSTON, MASS.
or up to pitch. As said before, there should be
Conducted and Edited by Wm. B. White.
Referring once more to the questions discussed
last week in this department—namely, the mer-
its of left-hand tuning—it might be well to note
that there is yet another virtue in the left-hand
system as applied to uprights. Personal expe-
rience has shown that where wrest-planks are
permeated with moisture so as to cause jump-
ing of the pins, it will generally be found that
much better results can be gained by using the
left hand. Although in bad cases it is often
quite impossible to achieve any good results with
wrest-planks in such a condition, yet there is
no doubt that the use of the left hand tends to
produce a steadier motion of the hammer, and
this has a good effect upon jumpy pins.
And while speaking of wrest-planks it is worth
while to ask ourselves what are the principal
reasons for such conditions, and how, if at all,
they may best be avoided. In the first place,
we have to consider the stringer in the factory
is often responsible, though doubtless unwit-
tingly, for such troubles as these. If his fingers
be hot and moist, and if any of the pins be
permuted to come in contact with this moisture,
the result will be that they will not stand firmly
in the wrest-plank, but will stick and jump, thus
preventing fine adjustment.
Again, the oil that is sometimes rubbed along
the dead ends of strings is always likely to soak
into the wrest-plank, and when this happens the
result is even worse, for the plank may become
permeated with oil throughout large sections of
its area, and this will cause all the pins so af-
fected to jump.
As a general thing, tuners should be careful,
whenever they have to insert new pins, to keep
the latter until used in a box of rosin or pow-
dered chalk. This will prevent moisture from
reaching the threaded portions of the pins, and
will thus save future trouble. When pins are
found to jump, the only remedy is to withdraw
them and sprinkle powdered chalk or rosin into
the holes. While this is a slow and tedious task,
the results will generally justify the extra work.
It is quite impossible to manipulate jumpy pins
with the necessary delicacy, and if fine tuning
is expected, the tuner must make the proper ar-
rangements with the owners of pianos, and see
that they pay for his labor. There is no other
logical way of looking at the matter.
The tuner often has to ask himself how to
proceed when it becomes necessary to effect
elaborate repairs on an instrument with the
intention of making permanent improvements
in the tone. The question of re-stringing must
frequently be considered, and here difficulties
sometimes arise through the inexperience or in-
competence' of the operator.
In considering the matter of re-stringing a
piano, the first question to be considered has to
do with the scaling of the original wire. The
new material must, of course, be of the same
gauge as the old, and if the scaling of the
wire has not been indicated on the wrest-plank
in figure?, then a music wire gauge must be used
and the number of strings to each size of wire
must be carefully noted. Otherwise confusion
will result and the ideas of the original designer
will be set at naught, with consequent bad effects
upon the tone quality of the instrument.
In removing the strings, the best procedure is
as, follows: Cut all the wires downward from
the treble end at the mid-point between the pin
and bearing bridge. Then unhook the severed
wires from the hitch pins and the instrument
will be unstrung. If it be an upright, let it then
be laid upon its back, and let the coils be taken
from the pins. Then observe the condition of
the latter with a view to determining whether
they can be used with the new wire or whether
it is necessary to withdraw them and insert
others.
TUNERS!