Presto
Issue: 1924 2005 - Page 22
22
PRESTO
FINISHING KEY IVORY |
Very Interesting Processes Are Required Before the
Product Is Ready for Key Maker.
Ivory is not clean and bright in a natural state, so
that a bleaching process to prepare it for use by the
piano key maker is a necessity.
"Not only is light necessary, but it is necessary in
certain quantities and qualities," says Ernest L.
Weaver, in the Canadian Music Trades Journal. "For
the bleaching of the ivory the stronger and brighter
the light the better, while in matching the sets of
keys north light is essential."
"The length of the factory faces north and south,
to cope with these requirements. The keys are ex-
posed, for bleaching, in the brilliant sunshine which
plays upon the sloping glass roof of the southern
side. On the northern side a wall of glass rises ver-
tically to the peak of the roof, giving the factory a
triangular appearance when viewed from the ends,
and it is on this side of the building that the matching
is done.
"Huge tusks lay on sacking spread upon the floor.
I began to understand that ivory keys are not a mat-
ter of course, and that even the procuring of the
ivory itself must entail no small amount of labor and
December 27, 1924.
experience. Practically all the ivory used for key
making comes from Africa by various routes to the
market of Antwerp and London. A sale is held at
these two places each quarter, the ivory being sold
by auction to buyers from every part of Europe and
America.
"After considering such things as these, I think that
most people will feel a little more interested in the
thin white strips which look so beautiful on the key-
board of an instrument. But it is a long jump from
the huge tasks lying in the graveyard to the keys of
a baby grand in the music room. From the moment
the tooth arrives, it becomes an object of great re-
sponsibility to everyone in the factory. First it must
be cut into short lengths. The cross sections of these
lengths are passed to the marker-out, who makes the
carefully pencilled lines which are to guide the man
with the 'trunching saw.'
"The marking out of these lengths requires a great
amount of ingenuity, as a slight error may cause the
waste of a considerable amount of the precious ivory.
Cracks occur around the circumference of the tooth,
'beans' or internal blemishes must be noted and in
marking out, all these faults must be carefully
avoided. It may easily be appreciated from the above
that the marker-out is a valuable employee, but the
same might apply to almost any other person en-
gaged in the factory. When the length of ivory is
"SUPERIOR" PIANO PLATES
marked out, it goes to the "trunching saw,' an in-
tricate piece of machinery which cuts the lengths into
'blocks' corresponding in width to the heads and tails
of the finished keys.
IN SMALL GOODS DEPARTMENT
Greater Interest in Musical Merchandise Shows in
New Stores and Old Ones.
A great list of Olympic recordse for December,
issued by the Capitol Roll & Record Co., Chicago,
included the very latest and choicest numbers in all
the varieties of music and songs.
W. G. Magness, a prominent music merchant of
Forest City, N. C, has just opened a branch music
store in Kings Mountain, N. C, under the manage-
ment of Ernest Magness. The new store handles
a full line of pianos and players, as well as musical
merchandise and sheet music.
There are still about 5,000,000 pounds of unsold
wool in the Portland, Ore., territory. There is a
pool of Idaho wool on the docks in that city awaiting
the later market, but the bulk of the holdings belong
to dealers and speculators.
A branch of the Charles Emdee Music Store of
Catskill has been opened at 107 Main street, Phil-
mont, N. Y.
Tenor banjos still have the greatest call in the
musical merchandise sections in Philadelphia, sup-
planting the old popularity of ukueles and mandolins.
Sales of phonographs were greater last week in one
Philadelphia music house than in any time for several
months. All the stores are making special displays
and plans for the holiday trade.
C. C. Christensen recently opened a music store
in Niles, Mich.
The J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co., Wichita, Kan.,
has been appointed representative of the Holton band
instruments in Wichita.
The Palmer Piano House, Medford, Ore., has se-
cured the exclusive agency for Couturier band instru-
ments and saxophones made by Lyon & Healy, Chi-
cago. The agency covers Medford and surrounding
territory. An intensive campaign to introduce this
line is planned.
Manufactured by
Cleveland, Ohio
SUPERIOR FOUNDRY CO.
DEALERS and TUNERS!
Keys Recovered and Rebushed
NATURELLE
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
The now famous reproducer, will help you increase your
sales of Phonographs and Records. Keep it on your dem-
onstrating machine. Every phonograph owner in your
neighborhood is a prospective buyer.
Dealer's Price $2.50—Send for Sample.
THE SPECIALTY PHONO. & ACCESS. CO.
210-212 East 113th St.
NEW YORK
All work is done by expert workmen
and modern machinery and you are
assured of correct spacing which is so
important. When keys are replaced they
will appear exactly as when the instru-
ment left the factory.
PRICES FOR PYRALIN IVORY
52 heads and tails
$8.00
52 fronts
2.50
88 keys rebushed
4.00
Express or Parcel Post to
FRIELD MILLER & CO.
112 W. 30th Street
FAIRBANKS
PIANO PLATES
THt FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
HOW TO S E N D
Remove from frame, number plainly near Capstan,
wrap or box securely, and ship Parcel Post or Express.
Please do not remove the old ivories at
there ia danger of the wood being broken.
Ivories will be returned if desired.
PERFECTION
Benches and Cabinets
The line that sells on sight and satisfies always.
The only solid walnut benches built and sold at
regular prices.
Send for catalog and price list,
No. 25
Perfection Benches with Smith's Patented Interlock*
ing mitre joint.
PERFECTION PIANO BENCH MFG. COMPANY
1514-1520 Blue Island Ave.
Chicago, 111.
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/
PRESTO
FINISHING KEY IVORY |
Very Interesting Processes Are Required Before the
Product Is Ready for Key Maker.
Ivory is not clean and bright in a natural state, so
that a bleaching process to prepare it for use by the
piano key maker is a necessity.
"Not only is light necessary, but it is necessary in
certain quantities and qualities," says Ernest L.
Weaver, in the Canadian Music Trades Journal. "For
the bleaching of the ivory the stronger and brighter
the light the better, while in matching the sets of
keys north light is essential."
"The length of the factory faces north and south,
to cope with these requirements. The keys are ex-
posed, for bleaching, in the brilliant sunshine which
plays upon the sloping glass roof of the southern
side. On the northern side a wall of glass rises ver-
tically to the peak of the roof, giving the factory a
triangular appearance when viewed from the ends,
and it is on this side of the building that the matching
is done.
"Huge tusks lay on sacking spread upon the floor.
I began to understand that ivory keys are not a mat-
ter of course, and that even the procuring of the
ivory itself must entail no small amount of labor and
December 27, 1924.
experience. Practically all the ivory used for key
making comes from Africa by various routes to the
market of Antwerp and London. A sale is held at
these two places each quarter, the ivory being sold
by auction to buyers from every part of Europe and
America.
"After considering such things as these, I think that
most people will feel a little more interested in the
thin white strips which look so beautiful on the key-
board of an instrument. But it is a long jump from
the huge tasks lying in the graveyard to the keys of
a baby grand in the music room. From the moment
the tooth arrives, it becomes an object of great re-
sponsibility to everyone in the factory. First it must
be cut into short lengths. The cross sections of these
lengths are passed to the marker-out, who makes the
carefully pencilled lines which are to guide the man
with the 'trunching saw.'
"The marking out of these lengths requires a great
amount of ingenuity, as a slight error may cause the
waste of a considerable amount of the precious ivory.
Cracks occur around the circumference of the tooth,
'beans' or internal blemishes must be noted and in
marking out, all these faults must be carefully
avoided. It may easily be appreciated from the above
that the marker-out is a valuable employee, but the
same might apply to almost any other person en-
gaged in the factory. When the length of ivory is
"SUPERIOR" PIANO PLATES
marked out, it goes to the "trunching saw,' an in-
tricate piece of machinery which cuts the lengths into
'blocks' corresponding in width to the heads and tails
of the finished keys.
IN SMALL GOODS DEPARTMENT
Greater Interest in Musical Merchandise Shows in
New Stores and Old Ones.
A great list of Olympic recordse for December,
issued by the Capitol Roll & Record Co., Chicago,
included the very latest and choicest numbers in all
the varieties of music and songs.
W. G. Magness, a prominent music merchant of
Forest City, N. C, has just opened a branch music
store in Kings Mountain, N. C, under the manage-
ment of Ernest Magness. The new store handles
a full line of pianos and players, as well as musical
merchandise and sheet music.
There are still about 5,000,000 pounds of unsold
wool in the Portland, Ore., territory. There is a
pool of Idaho wool on the docks in that city awaiting
the later market, but the bulk of the holdings belong
to dealers and speculators.
A branch of the Charles Emdee Music Store of
Catskill has been opened at 107 Main street, Phil-
mont, N. Y.
Tenor banjos still have the greatest call in the
musical merchandise sections in Philadelphia, sup-
planting the old popularity of ukueles and mandolins.
Sales of phonographs were greater last week in one
Philadelphia music house than in any time for several
months. All the stores are making special displays
and plans for the holiday trade.
C. C. Christensen recently opened a music store
in Niles, Mich.
The J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co., Wichita, Kan.,
has been appointed representative of the Holton band
instruments in Wichita.
The Palmer Piano House, Medford, Ore., has se-
cured the exclusive agency for Couturier band instru-
ments and saxophones made by Lyon & Healy, Chi-
cago. The agency covers Medford and surrounding
territory. An intensive campaign to introduce this
line is planned.
Manufactured by
Cleveland, Ohio
SUPERIOR FOUNDRY CO.
DEALERS and TUNERS!
Keys Recovered and Rebushed
NATURELLE
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
The now famous reproducer, will help you increase your
sales of Phonographs and Records. Keep it on your dem-
onstrating machine. Every phonograph owner in your
neighborhood is a prospective buyer.
Dealer's Price $2.50—Send for Sample.
THE SPECIALTY PHONO. & ACCESS. CO.
210-212 East 113th St.
NEW YORK
All work is done by expert workmen
and modern machinery and you are
assured of correct spacing which is so
important. When keys are replaced they
will appear exactly as when the instru-
ment left the factory.
PRICES FOR PYRALIN IVORY
52 heads and tails
$8.00
52 fronts
2.50
88 keys rebushed
4.00
Express or Parcel Post to
FRIELD MILLER & CO.
112 W. 30th Street
FAIRBANKS
PIANO PLATES
THt FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
HOW TO S E N D
Remove from frame, number plainly near Capstan,
wrap or box securely, and ship Parcel Post or Express.
Please do not remove the old ivories at
there ia danger of the wood being broken.
Ivories will be returned if desired.
PERFECTION
Benches and Cabinets
The line that sells on sight and satisfies always.
The only solid walnut benches built and sold at
regular prices.
Send for catalog and price list,
No. 25
Perfection Benches with Smith's Patented Interlock*
ing mitre joint.
PERFECTION PIANO BENCH MFG. COMPANY
1514-1520 Blue Island Ave.
Chicago, 111.
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/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).