Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
JULY 26, 1924
REVIEW
45
SUPPLY BRANCHES OF THE INDUSTRY
Mahogany Association Warns Against
Treating That Wood to Destroy Color
To Develop the Best Tone of This Popular Wood Light Must Be Permitted to Reach It—Proper
Methods of Treating This Veneer So as to Bring It Out to Best Advantage
COME interesting facts for both buyers and
workers of mahogany have been broadcasted
recently from Station WEAF, New York, in a
series of four radio talks, under the auspices of
the Mahogany Association, 1133 Broadway, New
York City. A condensed reprint of the lectures
has just been gotten up in booklet form, which
the Association is mailing to many piano and
phonograph manufacturers, as well as to the
dealers supplying veneers to these industries.
The most interesting point in the booklet,
dealing with the prevalent custom of attaining
mahogany veneers on pianos and other furni-
ture so that they become almost black, is strik-
ing in that the same idea was expressed re-
cently in The Review by G. H. Vaughan, East-
ern representative for the Ohio Veneer Co., Cin-
cinnati, O. To quote the booklet: "What
chance has a beautiful wood like mahogany to
grow richer, more fully figured, or more trans-
parent of surface when so mistreated? Furni-
ture thus finished never will look better than
when you buy it and, furthermore, will never
look like mahogany anyway.
"The natural color of freshly manufactured,
unfinished mahogany is a light, salmon pink
shading sometimes toward brown. To develop
its best tone, light must reach the wood; hence
a stain must be used that will permit light to
penetrate and produce the true development of
figure, tone and transparency of surface.
"One color or shade of mahogany finish that
most piano manufacturers favor avoiding is the
flaring dark red, which at one time was used
for furniture. Mahogany that has aged prop-
erly is not that color, any more than it is black.
"Properly treated mahogany should be a light
color when bought, so that with age it can
assume a soft mellow tone with a transparent
surface splashed with light and shade. That
kind of finish the old masters used to produce
the antiques of to-day.
"The surface coats may be varnish, shellac,
French polish, or lacquer, as preferred. All of
these will take a high polish, semi-polish, satin
finish, eggshell finish or dull finish, depending
In speaking of the music industry the follow-
ing comment is made: "The makers of high-
grade musical instruments use more hard maple
than any other wood, because of its well recog-
nized and peculiar character of resonance, a
quality possessed by very few woods. Maple is
the best hardwood to use where musical tones
must be preserved and strengthened. Further,
exposed parts will take a very attractive finish."
on how the final coat has been rubbed. The less
highly polished surfaces do not so readily show
the almost inevitable scratches and blemishes of
Standard Air Service
service.
"Wax and boiled linseed oil also are used for
The Standard Pneumatic Action Co., New
top coats. These have advantages worth noting.
If the piece gets marred, the damage may be York, has just made a test of Uncle Sam's new
repaired by rubbing on, with a soft cloth, a little air post service to California. A letter from
A. W. Johnston, president of the company, to
wax or oil, as the case may be.
F. C. Buell, West Coast representative, left New
"If wax had been used, it should be rubbed York at 11 o'clock on July 10.
to a soft lustrous surface after fifteen or twenty
The reply from Mr. Buell arrived at the com-
minutes, with a clean, soft cloth. Boiled linseed
pany's
offices in the first mail Wednesday morn-
oil, as applied sparingly with a cloth pad, takes
longer to dry—usually three days. Hot dishes ing, July 15. This gives an elapsed time from
do not ring the surface finished with wax or oil. the mailing of the letter to the receipt of the
A high polish is not possible with either wax reply of five days. The Standard Pneumatic
Action Co. has advertised the pumping of its
or oil.
player action "like walking on cushions of air."
"It is erroneously supposed by many that ma- Probably this suggested the thought of sending
hogany requires much care, that it gets murky, its mail on air cushions to California.
is hard to clean and scratches easily. These
conditions occur, but they have nothing to do
with mahogany. The wood does not get murky
Pig Iron Market
and scratched, though the finish may. Any
given finish will get murky and scratch easily,
Outlook in the pig iron market has become
regardless of the wood underneath it.
much brighter during the past week, according
"To care for highly polished mahogany, secure to the opinion of market authorities. In the
from any hardware man a bottle filled with first place the menace of too much iron has
three-fourths crude oil and one-fourth benzine. been removed. The surplus stocks which de-
Rub on sparingly with a piece of cheesecloth pressed the market will not be increased. On
and then thoroughly polish lengthwise with the the contrary, from now on they should be de-
grain of the wood with another piece of dry creased. Then there has been for some weeks
cheesecloth. The murk will disappear and so free buying. A large tonnage of iron has been
will many little scratches. This is not hard work purchased and furnace order books are in much
and makes the piano case look well for a long better condition. This week there has been a
time. Bear in mind, however, it is recommended great deal of scattered buying.
only for varnish, shellac, French polish and
All orders have been placed to cover neces-
lacquer—not for wax or boiled oil."
sities. There has been no speculative purchas-
The Mahogany Association, Inc., is composed ing and a tendency to keep close to shore is
of manufacturers, jobbers and handlers of ma- evident.
hogany logs, lumber and veneers, and supplies
them with information about this wood at vari-
ous intervals.
STANDARD
Book Issued on Use
of Maple in Industry
*
(CAMBRIDGE.)
Piano Actions
Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufac-
turers' Association Issues Publication Cover-
ing the Field
Write for a sample can of Behlen's
Varnish Crack Eradicator and try it.
Once you learn how much it means to
you in the saving of time on your refin-
ishing jobs by eliminating the necessity
of scraping off old varnish and shellac,
and how much more satisfactory are
the results, because of the better sur-
face it gives to work on, you, like
others, will continue to use it.
Write to-day.
CHICAGO, III., July 26.—A very interesting book-
let, entitled "Hard Maple in the Industries," has
just been issued by the Northern Hemlock and
Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of Osh-
kosh, Wis.
The booklet is illustrated throughout and ex-
plains the characteristics of hard maple, de-
scribes the sources, grades and inspection, and
also speaks of its many industrial uses. In the
latter connection it says:
"Hard maple lumber is an important raw
material in fifty-two industries classified by the
United States* Census Bureau. In all of these
industries maple has been specified and used
because its combination of properties has made
it the logical choice for certain purposes."
She Standard Action Company
Cambridge, ^Massachusetts
WHITE, SON CO.
Manufacturers of
ORGAN AND PLAYER-PIANO
THE
H. BEHLEN & BRO.
Anilines
Shellacs
Cxclusive manufaciucirs of
Stains
Fillers
10-12 Christopher St., New York
Near 6th Ave., and 8th St.
ARTNOVELTYCO.
Piaivo Beivekes
and Musie Cabinets
GOSHEN
INDIANA
Writ* for catalog aneL details
LEATHERS
530-540 Atlantic Ave., BOSTON, MASS.
18R50OA