Music Trade Review
Issue: 1924 Vol. 79 N. 15 - Page 13
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
OCTOBER 11, 1924
MUSTC TRADE
KEVIEW
13
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
Conducted By William Braid White
Fine Tools a Necessity for Fine Work
on the Part of the Piano Technician
The Proper Tools a Necessity for the Tuner if He Is to Be Able to Meet the Demands That Are
Made Upon His Skill in the Ordinary Course of His Work—An Ideal Kit Which Meets
All the Modern Piano Technician's Requirements in His Work.
RANK HALE, of the Tuners Supply
Co., Boston, has very kindly sent me for
inspection a new make of tuning hammer
in which an important change of construction
has been made. The customary thread cut at
the top of the shaft into which the head is
screwed has been abolished, and the head now
fits, without any thread at all, over the shaft
which is tapered to receive it. The tapers of
the shaft where the head fits over it and of the
hole drilled in the head correspondingly are
carefully made, and apparently the mechanical
efficiency is quite as great as it would be with
the old style of screwed joint, while, of course,
the gain in strength at an otherwise weak point
is considerable.
I mention this new tool particularly because
1 have been lately thinking how little improve-
ment has been made during recent years in tun-
ing hammer construction and indeed in the gen-
eral layout of tuners' tools. The Hales years
ago brought out the one big improvement in
modern tuning tools when they invented the
detachable tip for the tuning-hammer head, thus
assuring the tuner of a close fit for any size of
tuning pin with which he might have to deal.
Many attempts have since been made to im-
prove the construction of piano tuning tools
in other ways, as, for instance, in Porter's
ratchet head which is intended to enable the
tuner always to place the hammer upon the pin
at the most convenient angle for the hand.
There is considerable merit in the Porter inven-
tion. Somehow or other, nevertheless, whether
it be that tuners are fearfully conservative or
that they do not appreciate as they should the
fineness of fine tools, the fact remains that to
invent improvements for their benefit does not
appear to be the most lucrative of ways for
making a living.
A Sermon on Tools
This leads me to say some words about the
tuners' tools in general. I have read many
words written by various tuners about the
stupidities of their colleagues who carry around
a flea-bitten bag of rusty and inefficient tools,
F
Send for This Valuable
Free Book
One of the surest ways to Increase
your profits is to repair mars and
scratches immediately. IT your prospec-
tive customer sees a defect in the finish
your change of making a sale is greatly
diminished.
"How to Repair DamaRe to Var-
nished Surfaces" tells how you can in-
stantly repair any injury to the finish
of musical instruments or fine furniture.
It will interest any dealer, tuner or
repair man.
WRITE FOR FREE COPY TODAY
IT you are too busy to write a letter, pin
this ad to your card or letterhead and mail
It to us. We'll know what you want.
The M. L. Campbell Company
2328 Penn
Kantai City. Mo.
thrown in a heap with wire, punchings, felt and
glue. The accusation is unfortunately only- too
much to the point. So many tuners, even some
good tuners, seem to think that to spend money
on fine tools is to waste it, and that to house
The Outfit
one's supplies neatly in a fine-looking bag is to
In
the
first
place,
of course, comes the tuning
waste time as well. Why this should be so is a
hammer,
and
I
recommend
one of the best
mystery which I certainly am not competent to
solve; but that it represents a fact no one can makes with at least two star heads, one longer
and one shorter. Detachable tips are also con-
deny.
venient
but not indispensable. Wedges for tun-
Now to my mind the very first thing that a
ing
should,
in my opinion, be carried in three
budding tuner should think of is how he may
shapes;
continuous
felt strips for the tempera-
acquire a kit of fine tools. In the factory, of
ment
octave,
with
additional
strips for muting
course, he will need only tuning hammer, heads,
throughout
a
grand
piano
scale;
rubber or felt
wedges, tuning fork, a couple of screw drivers
wedges
and
wooden
treble
wedges.
A first-
and a pair of pliers, along with a square piece
class
tuning
fork
is
also
needed,
and
this
should
of felt on which to lay his tools when he is
working on a piano. Even this simple outfit, always be carried in its felt-lined leather case.
however, can be either good or bad. I strongly A good fork is not very expensive, but is indis*
recommend, and have always recommended, that pensable, and I recommend having it rated by
the student begin with the very finest of every- a competent authority. The most eminent is
thing and avoid as he would the plague the undoubtedly Dr. D. C Miller, .of Case School
temptation to believe that "anything is good of Applied Science, Cleveland, O., who will
enough for a beginner." I remember my own gladly rate any fork sent to him. I prefer the
struggles with unfit equipment, especially with international pitch (A 435) for reasons fre-
a succession of cheap, worthless tuning ham- quently given in these columns.
Screwdrivers
mers and that I never was able to tune anything
Every tuner must have a good supply of
worth while until I had acquired at the enor-
mous price (to me at least) of about $5 a fine screwdrivers, at least four in number. There
Erlandsen hammer with double square and star should be one very large and heavy tool for
heads. To these later I added a double oblong grand keyblocks and similar heavy work, one
head for square pianos and a second star head long blade of moderate thickness for player-
for pianos with overhanging lids. From the action work, one long thin blade for piano ac-
day I first experienced the beauties of really fine tions, and one very small and thin blade for
tools, and the difference between working with grand action drop screws and similar small ele-
them and with worthless substitutes, I was con- ments. A combination handle can be had to
verted to the belief that if a bad workman carry four or even more such blades, but I
quarrels with his tools, so also a good workman have come to the conclusion that in these days,
quarrels, or should quarrel, with tools that arc when weight saving is not such an important
not good. The notion that a good mechanic question, it is better to have separate handles
can do a good job with any or no tools is a for each blade. I also strongly recommend a
notion that should have been thrown into the screwholdcr tool for assisting to place screws
discard long ago. Unfortunately it still sur- in out-of-the-way corners.
For player work where a great number of
vives in all its pestiferous falseness.
screws must often be withdrawn and replaced,
My Watson Case
I know that when I first obtained one of those either a rotary or a ratchet screwdriver is very
wonderful Watson outfits from the Tuners useful. The automatic ratchet or "pump" driver
Supply Co. I was benefited in two ways. For can be used for drilling small holes as well as
one thing the tools were so fine that one felt it for screwdriver work and is very useful. A
necessary to live up to them, as it were; while, rotary tool is, however, the best for player-
on the other hand, one's customers were always action work and can easily be made by bending
impressed and, in fact, gratified when the box in a piece of tool steel a crank-shaped bend,
was opened and all the shining instruments, dis- then grinding down to a screwdriver blade the
posed each in its place, were displayed before end farthest from this bend and at the nearer
their eyes. I know that my reputation was end fitting on a loose wooden knob. Then one
always improved with a new customer by a can drive or withdraw screws very rapidly and
(Continued on page 14)
sight of this really splendid outfit; while the
JOHN LIPPE
Piano Key Repairing
Send for samples and new prices. Work guaranteed
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piano Tuning, Pipe and Reed Organ
and Player Piano. Year Book Free.
27-29 Gainsboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
tools themselves were both thoroughly practical
and thoroughly well made.
To-day with the player-piano it is more neces-
sary than ever to carry along a proper outfit
both of tools and of supplies. Now that almost
anybody can have a Ford the question of
weight no longer counts, and the technician may
carry with him all the supplies of materials
and spare parts that he may wish to have, and
besides can have a full and complete outfit of
fine tools. I should like to make some sugges-
tions as to what I consider to be a complete
outfit of such tools for the man of to-day.
844 River Road
Edgewater, N. J.
Tel. Ciiff«de 879 M
Established
1901
POLK TUNING SCHOOL
Pioneer school of piano, player-piano and Reproducing
Piano tuning and repairing in the United States.
Complete Courses Taught in Seven to Ten Weeks
Write for terms and literature
POLK BUILDING
VALPARAISO, IND.
REPAIRING
and Refinishing
Pianos and Phonographs
Write for Details and Terms
PIANO REPAIR SHOP
339 So. Wabaah Ave.
Chicago
OTTO R. TREFZ, Jr.
Piano Bass Strings
Piano Repair Supplies
2110 Fairmount Ave.
Philadelphia, Pa.
THE
OCTOBER 11, 1924
MUSTC TRADE
KEVIEW
13
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
Conducted By William Braid White
Fine Tools a Necessity for Fine Work
on the Part of the Piano Technician
The Proper Tools a Necessity for the Tuner if He Is to Be Able to Meet the Demands That Are
Made Upon His Skill in the Ordinary Course of His Work—An Ideal Kit Which Meets
All the Modern Piano Technician's Requirements in His Work.
RANK HALE, of the Tuners Supply
Co., Boston, has very kindly sent me for
inspection a new make of tuning hammer
in which an important change of construction
has been made. The customary thread cut at
the top of the shaft into which the head is
screwed has been abolished, and the head now
fits, without any thread at all, over the shaft
which is tapered to receive it. The tapers of
the shaft where the head fits over it and of the
hole drilled in the head correspondingly are
carefully made, and apparently the mechanical
efficiency is quite as great as it would be with
the old style of screwed joint, while, of course,
the gain in strength at an otherwise weak point
is considerable.
I mention this new tool particularly because
1 have been lately thinking how little improve-
ment has been made during recent years in tun-
ing hammer construction and indeed in the gen-
eral layout of tuners' tools. The Hales years
ago brought out the one big improvement in
modern tuning tools when they invented the
detachable tip for the tuning-hammer head, thus
assuring the tuner of a close fit for any size of
tuning pin with which he might have to deal.
Many attempts have since been made to im-
prove the construction of piano tuning tools
in other ways, as, for instance, in Porter's
ratchet head which is intended to enable the
tuner always to place the hammer upon the pin
at the most convenient angle for the hand.
There is considerable merit in the Porter inven-
tion. Somehow or other, nevertheless, whether
it be that tuners are fearfully conservative or
that they do not appreciate as they should the
fineness of fine tools, the fact remains that to
invent improvements for their benefit does not
appear to be the most lucrative of ways for
making a living.
A Sermon on Tools
This leads me to say some words about the
tuners' tools in general. I have read many
words written by various tuners about the
stupidities of their colleagues who carry around
a flea-bitten bag of rusty and inefficient tools,
F
Send for This Valuable
Free Book
One of the surest ways to Increase
your profits is to repair mars and
scratches immediately. IT your prospec-
tive customer sees a defect in the finish
your change of making a sale is greatly
diminished.
"How to Repair DamaRe to Var-
nished Surfaces" tells how you can in-
stantly repair any injury to the finish
of musical instruments or fine furniture.
It will interest any dealer, tuner or
repair man.
WRITE FOR FREE COPY TODAY
IT you are too busy to write a letter, pin
this ad to your card or letterhead and mail
It to us. We'll know what you want.
The M. L. Campbell Company
2328 Penn
Kantai City. Mo.
thrown in a heap with wire, punchings, felt and
glue. The accusation is unfortunately only- too
much to the point. So many tuners, even some
good tuners, seem to think that to spend money
on fine tools is to waste it, and that to house
The Outfit
one's supplies neatly in a fine-looking bag is to
In
the
first
place,
of course, comes the tuning
waste time as well. Why this should be so is a
hammer,
and
I
recommend
one of the best
mystery which I certainly am not competent to
solve; but that it represents a fact no one can makes with at least two star heads, one longer
and one shorter. Detachable tips are also con-
deny.
venient
but not indispensable. Wedges for tun-
Now to my mind the very first thing that a
ing
should,
in my opinion, be carried in three
budding tuner should think of is how he may
shapes;
continuous
felt strips for the tempera-
acquire a kit of fine tools. In the factory, of
ment
octave,
with
additional
strips for muting
course, he will need only tuning hammer, heads,
throughout
a
grand
piano
scale;
rubber or felt
wedges, tuning fork, a couple of screw drivers
wedges
and
wooden
treble
wedges.
A first-
and a pair of pliers, along with a square piece
class
tuning
fork
is
also
needed,
and
this
should
of felt on which to lay his tools when he is
working on a piano. Even this simple outfit, always be carried in its felt-lined leather case.
however, can be either good or bad. I strongly A good fork is not very expensive, but is indis*
recommend, and have always recommended, that pensable, and I recommend having it rated by
the student begin with the very finest of every- a competent authority. The most eminent is
thing and avoid as he would the plague the undoubtedly Dr. D. C Miller, .of Case School
temptation to believe that "anything is good of Applied Science, Cleveland, O., who will
enough for a beginner." I remember my own gladly rate any fork sent to him. I prefer the
struggles with unfit equipment, especially with international pitch (A 435) for reasons fre-
a succession of cheap, worthless tuning ham- quently given in these columns.
Screwdrivers
mers and that I never was able to tune anything
Every tuner must have a good supply of
worth while until I had acquired at the enor-
mous price (to me at least) of about $5 a fine screwdrivers, at least four in number. There
Erlandsen hammer with double square and star should be one very large and heavy tool for
heads. To these later I added a double oblong grand keyblocks and similar heavy work, one
head for square pianos and a second star head long blade of moderate thickness for player-
for pianos with overhanging lids. From the action work, one long thin blade for piano ac-
day I first experienced the beauties of really fine tions, and one very small and thin blade for
tools, and the difference between working with grand action drop screws and similar small ele-
them and with worthless substitutes, I was con- ments. A combination handle can be had to
verted to the belief that if a bad workman carry four or even more such blades, but I
quarrels with his tools, so also a good workman have come to the conclusion that in these days,
quarrels, or should quarrel, with tools that arc when weight saving is not such an important
not good. The notion that a good mechanic question, it is better to have separate handles
can do a good job with any or no tools is a for each blade. I also strongly recommend a
notion that should have been thrown into the screwholdcr tool for assisting to place screws
discard long ago. Unfortunately it still sur- in out-of-the-way corners.
For player work where a great number of
vives in all its pestiferous falseness.
screws must often be withdrawn and replaced,
My Watson Case
I know that when I first obtained one of those either a rotary or a ratchet screwdriver is very
wonderful Watson outfits from the Tuners useful. The automatic ratchet or "pump" driver
Supply Co. I was benefited in two ways. For can be used for drilling small holes as well as
one thing the tools were so fine that one felt it for screwdriver work and is very useful. A
necessary to live up to them, as it were; while, rotary tool is, however, the best for player-
on the other hand, one's customers were always action work and can easily be made by bending
impressed and, in fact, gratified when the box in a piece of tool steel a crank-shaped bend,
was opened and all the shining instruments, dis- then grinding down to a screwdriver blade the
posed each in its place, were displayed before end farthest from this bend and at the nearer
their eyes. I know that my reputation was end fitting on a loose wooden knob. Then one
always improved with a new customer by a can drive or withdraw screws very rapidly and
(Continued on page 14)
sight of this really splendid outfit; while the
JOHN LIPPE
Piano Key Repairing
Send for samples and new prices. Work guaranteed
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piano Tuning, Pipe and Reed Organ
and Player Piano. Year Book Free.
27-29 Gainsboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
tools themselves were both thoroughly practical
and thoroughly well made.
To-day with the player-piano it is more neces-
sary than ever to carry along a proper outfit
both of tools and of supplies. Now that almost
anybody can have a Ford the question of
weight no longer counts, and the technician may
carry with him all the supplies of materials
and spare parts that he may wish to have, and
besides can have a full and complete outfit of
fine tools. I should like to make some sugges-
tions as to what I consider to be a complete
outfit of such tools for the man of to-day.
844 River Road
Edgewater, N. J.
Tel. Ciiff«de 879 M
Established
1901
POLK TUNING SCHOOL
Pioneer school of piano, player-piano and Reproducing
Piano tuning and repairing in the United States.
Complete Courses Taught in Seven to Ten Weeks
Write for terms and literature
POLK BUILDING
VALPARAISO, IND.
REPAIRING
and Refinishing
Pianos and Phonographs
Write for Details and Terms
PIANO REPAIR SHOP
339 So. Wabaah Ave.
Chicago
OTTO R. TREFZ, Jr.
Piano Bass Strings
Piano Repair Supplies
2110 Fairmount Ave.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).