Music Trade Review
Issue: 1925 Vol. 80 N. 12 - Page 37
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MARCH 21,
THE
1925
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
37
SUPPLY BRANCHES OF THE INDUSTRY
Directory of Commodity
Specifications Issued
Bureau of Standards Publishes Interesting Vol-
ume Which Includes Specifications Covering
Musical Instruments
WASHINGTON, D. C, March 16.—A National Di-
rectory of Commodity Specifications, containing
classified lists of all the commodity specifica-
tions in general use in the United States, in-
cluding those employed by the United States
Government, by State and city purchasing
agents and by large industries, is soon to be
published by the Bureau of Standards. Included
in the work will be specifications for musical
instruments, etc., as prepared by the Federal
Specifications Board.
The directory will cover about 6,000 com-
modities, divided into groups and cross indexed,
with information as to where the specifications
may be secured; it will comprise about 600
pages and is to be sold at the cost of publica-
tion, about $2 per copy. It will be followed by
an Encyclopedia of Specifications, giving in
loose pamphlet form complete copies of the
more important specifications and those which
are least readily obtained elsewhere.
Preparation of the directory and the encyclo-
pedia were recommended in 1923 at a meeting
of State purchasing agents, at which the need
for such information was emphasized, together
with the desirability of having it prepared by
co-operation of interested parties under the
leadership of a government organization. The
services of the Bureau of Standards were of-
fered and accepted, and the work was carried
on by a committee representing the various
national organizations interested in specifica-
tions.
New Pratt Read Patent
WASHINGTON, D. C, March 16.—The Pratt Read
Player Action Co., Deep River, Conn., is the
owner through assignment by Stanley L. Fish-
er, Chester, Conn., of Patent No. 1,529,426 for
a player-piano.
This invention relates to player-pianos and
more particularly to the provision of a pneu-
matic action of improved operation and to im-
proved means for transmitting the power of
the player pneumatics to the piano action.
When a pneumatic player action is inserted in
a piano, a certain amount of adjustment is re-
quired between the striker arm of the pneu-
matic action and the members of the piano
action with which these arms engage. Also,
the striker arms themselves must, at times, be
adjusted so that they will properly "line up"
or lie in a single horizontal plane. Heretofore
these adjustments have been difficult to make
and the result is that the striker arms do not
occupy the proper positions relatively to the
piano action units with which they cooperate.
An improper attack of the striker pneumatic
upon the piano action results when these ob-
jectionable features are present.
The following are among the objects of the
invention: to provide an improved pneumatic
action for player pianos wherein these disad-
vantages are overcome; an improved connec-
tion between the pneumatic action and the
piano action; a further object is an adjustable
one-piece striker arms for the player pneu-
matics; flexible, resilient striker arms adapted
to be attached to the player pneumatics at
one end and to engage the piano action at the
other end to actuate the same; also a resilient
and flexible striker arm which may be rigidly
attached to the striker pneumatic so that the
usual striker arm guide rail may be dispensed
with.
Oppose Alcohol Bill
March 16.—Opposition to
various legislative measures restricting full free-
dom of trade was endorsed at the meeting of
the Philadelphia Paint, Oil and Varnish Club at
Bellevue-Stratford this week.
"Few manufacturers realize the enormity of
the alcohol bill, now pending enactment at Har-
risburg," according to Edward Longstreth, of
Sam R. French Co. "Paint manufacturers must
sell alcohol for thinning purposes. • Drastic
scrutiny as required under the bill would ham-
per quick dispatch and create conditions bearing
on criminal surveillance over an honest indus-
try."
In his report on legislation pending, W. J.
Pitt, chairman of the committee on legislature,
asked support in opposing not only the alcohol
bill, but in seeking amendment to the naval
stores bill which restrains the manufacturer in
the use of turpentine substitutes.
Resolutions adopting both proposals were
carried unanimously.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.,
W. A. Mennie in West
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.
William A. Mennie, vice-president of the
Standard Pneumatic Action Co., New York, is
at present making an extended trip through the
Middle West in the interest of this company.
While in Chicago recently Mr. Mennie attended
one of the luncheons of the Piano Club there.
He will return to New York after visiting many
of the large piano factories using the Standard
player-action.
PHILIP W. OETTING & SON, Inc.
213 East 19th Street, New York
Sole Agents for
WEICKERT HAMMER AND DAMPER FELTS
GRAND AND UPRIGHT HAMMERS
Made of Weickert Felt
History of Bench and
Stool Industry Traced
Bulletin of National Association of Piano Bench
and Stool Manufacturers Gives Development
of Industry
CHICAC.O, 111., March 13.—High spots in the
history of the last twenty-five years of piano
bench manufacturers are sketched in the last
bulletin of the National Association of Piano
Pencil and Stool Manufacturers, and an article
from Tonk Topics treating this subject is re-
printed in full. The ethical side of the bench
manufacturing business is dealt with, and it is
argued that it is better to give a quality bench
with an instrument than have a customer dis-
satisfied. The article traces the rise of the
bench industry as far back as the period when
piano dealers did not give benches with pianos.
"If a dealer sells a good piano at a fair
price," says the bulletin in part, "and gives a
cheap stool and scarf, does he not have mis-
givings afterward?" The bulletin is issued in
two and one-half pages instead of its usual one
page, and deals with what the piano merchant
can do to increase business.
Proper Operation of
Dry Kilns Explained
Rolf Thelen, in "Kiln Drying Handbook" Issued
by Forest Products Laboratory, Gives Details
of This Work
A treatise explaining the proper operation of
a dry kiln has just been written by Rolf Thelen,
in charge of the section of timber physics at
the Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis.,
and has been printed by this institution under
the title "Kiln Drying Handbook." In this pub-
lication Mr. Thelen says it is not necessary for
the operator to understand all of the details of
the movements of moisture through the wood
or all of the attendant phenomena. All that is
important to remember is that moisture tends
to distribute itself evenly through the wood,
moving from the moist sections to the dryer
ones. This movement of moisture within the
wood is affected by three controllable external
factors—heat, humidity and circulation. A con-
stant application of these factors in proper pro-
portion is essential to the successful drying of
lumber to the moisture content required for a
specific use. The regulation of the heat, hu-
midity and circulation is, in fact, the main prob-
lem in the successful operation of kilns.
Ask Duty Reduction
A lowered cost of paints and varnishes is ex-
pected in industrial circles as a result of a peti-
tion by the American Vegetable Oils and Fats
Industries filed recently with the Tariff Com-
mission to reduce the duty on a number of vege-
table oils.
WHITE, SON CO.
Manufacturers of
ORGAN AND PLAYER-PIANO
THE
H. BEHLEN & BRO.
Anilines
Shellacs
Cxclusive manufaciutws cf
Stain*
Fillers
10-12 Christopher St., New York
Near 6th AT«., and 8th St.
ARTNOVELTYCO.
Piano Benekes
and Musie Cabinets
GOSHE d
Write for catalog and. details
INDIANA
LEATHERS
530-540 Atlantic Ave., BOSTON, MASS.
MARCH 21,
THE
1925
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
37
SUPPLY BRANCHES OF THE INDUSTRY
Directory of Commodity
Specifications Issued
Bureau of Standards Publishes Interesting Vol-
ume Which Includes Specifications Covering
Musical Instruments
WASHINGTON, D. C, March 16.—A National Di-
rectory of Commodity Specifications, containing
classified lists of all the commodity specifica-
tions in general use in the United States, in-
cluding those employed by the United States
Government, by State and city purchasing
agents and by large industries, is soon to be
published by the Bureau of Standards. Included
in the work will be specifications for musical
instruments, etc., as prepared by the Federal
Specifications Board.
The directory will cover about 6,000 com-
modities, divided into groups and cross indexed,
with information as to where the specifications
may be secured; it will comprise about 600
pages and is to be sold at the cost of publica-
tion, about $2 per copy. It will be followed by
an Encyclopedia of Specifications, giving in
loose pamphlet form complete copies of the
more important specifications and those which
are least readily obtained elsewhere.
Preparation of the directory and the encyclo-
pedia were recommended in 1923 at a meeting
of State purchasing agents, at which the need
for such information was emphasized, together
with the desirability of having it prepared by
co-operation of interested parties under the
leadership of a government organization. The
services of the Bureau of Standards were of-
fered and accepted, and the work was carried
on by a committee representing the various
national organizations interested in specifica-
tions.
New Pratt Read Patent
WASHINGTON, D. C, March 16.—The Pratt Read
Player Action Co., Deep River, Conn., is the
owner through assignment by Stanley L. Fish-
er, Chester, Conn., of Patent No. 1,529,426 for
a player-piano.
This invention relates to player-pianos and
more particularly to the provision of a pneu-
matic action of improved operation and to im-
proved means for transmitting the power of
the player pneumatics to the piano action.
When a pneumatic player action is inserted in
a piano, a certain amount of adjustment is re-
quired between the striker arm of the pneu-
matic action and the members of the piano
action with which these arms engage. Also,
the striker arms themselves must, at times, be
adjusted so that they will properly "line up"
or lie in a single horizontal plane. Heretofore
these adjustments have been difficult to make
and the result is that the striker arms do not
occupy the proper positions relatively to the
piano action units with which they cooperate.
An improper attack of the striker pneumatic
upon the piano action results when these ob-
jectionable features are present.
The following are among the objects of the
invention: to provide an improved pneumatic
action for player pianos wherein these disad-
vantages are overcome; an improved connec-
tion between the pneumatic action and the
piano action; a further object is an adjustable
one-piece striker arms for the player pneu-
matics; flexible, resilient striker arms adapted
to be attached to the player pneumatics at
one end and to engage the piano action at the
other end to actuate the same; also a resilient
and flexible striker arm which may be rigidly
attached to the striker pneumatic so that the
usual striker arm guide rail may be dispensed
with.
Oppose Alcohol Bill
March 16.—Opposition to
various legislative measures restricting full free-
dom of trade was endorsed at the meeting of
the Philadelphia Paint, Oil and Varnish Club at
Bellevue-Stratford this week.
"Few manufacturers realize the enormity of
the alcohol bill, now pending enactment at Har-
risburg," according to Edward Longstreth, of
Sam R. French Co. "Paint manufacturers must
sell alcohol for thinning purposes. • Drastic
scrutiny as required under the bill would ham-
per quick dispatch and create conditions bearing
on criminal surveillance over an honest indus-
try."
In his report on legislation pending, W. J.
Pitt, chairman of the committee on legislature,
asked support in opposing not only the alcohol
bill, but in seeking amendment to the naval
stores bill which restrains the manufacturer in
the use of turpentine substitutes.
Resolutions adopting both proposals were
carried unanimously.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.,
W. A. Mennie in West
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.
William A. Mennie, vice-president of the
Standard Pneumatic Action Co., New York, is
at present making an extended trip through the
Middle West in the interest of this company.
While in Chicago recently Mr. Mennie attended
one of the luncheons of the Piano Club there.
He will return to New York after visiting many
of the large piano factories using the Standard
player-action.
PHILIP W. OETTING & SON, Inc.
213 East 19th Street, New York
Sole Agents for
WEICKERT HAMMER AND DAMPER FELTS
GRAND AND UPRIGHT HAMMERS
Made of Weickert Felt
History of Bench and
Stool Industry Traced
Bulletin of National Association of Piano Bench
and Stool Manufacturers Gives Development
of Industry
CHICAC.O, 111., March 13.—High spots in the
history of the last twenty-five years of piano
bench manufacturers are sketched in the last
bulletin of the National Association of Piano
Pencil and Stool Manufacturers, and an article
from Tonk Topics treating this subject is re-
printed in full. The ethical side of the bench
manufacturing business is dealt with, and it is
argued that it is better to give a quality bench
with an instrument than have a customer dis-
satisfied. The article traces the rise of the
bench industry as far back as the period when
piano dealers did not give benches with pianos.
"If a dealer sells a good piano at a fair
price," says the bulletin in part, "and gives a
cheap stool and scarf, does he not have mis-
givings afterward?" The bulletin is issued in
two and one-half pages instead of its usual one
page, and deals with what the piano merchant
can do to increase business.
Proper Operation of
Dry Kilns Explained
Rolf Thelen, in "Kiln Drying Handbook" Issued
by Forest Products Laboratory, Gives Details
of This Work
A treatise explaining the proper operation of
a dry kiln has just been written by Rolf Thelen,
in charge of the section of timber physics at
the Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis.,
and has been printed by this institution under
the title "Kiln Drying Handbook." In this pub-
lication Mr. Thelen says it is not necessary for
the operator to understand all of the details of
the movements of moisture through the wood
or all of the attendant phenomena. All that is
important to remember is that moisture tends
to distribute itself evenly through the wood,
moving from the moist sections to the dryer
ones. This movement of moisture within the
wood is affected by three controllable external
factors—heat, humidity and circulation. A con-
stant application of these factors in proper pro-
portion is essential to the successful drying of
lumber to the moisture content required for a
specific use. The regulation of the heat, hu-
midity and circulation is, in fact, the main prob-
lem in the successful operation of kilns.
Ask Duty Reduction
A lowered cost of paints and varnishes is ex-
pected in industrial circles as a result of a peti-
tion by the American Vegetable Oils and Fats
Industries filed recently with the Tariff Com-
mission to reduce the duty on a number of vege-
table oils.
WHITE, SON CO.
Manufacturers of
ORGAN AND PLAYER-PIANO
THE
H. BEHLEN & BRO.
Anilines
Shellacs
Cxclusive manufaciutws cf
Stain*
Fillers
10-12 Christopher St., New York
Near 6th AT«., and 8th St.
ARTNOVELTYCO.
Piano Benekes
and Musie Cabinets
GOSHE d
Write for catalog and. details
INDIANA
LEATHERS
530-540 Atlantic Ave., BOSTON, MASS.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).