Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-23

rty All the delicate action work shaped by machinery
in this story accurately to require little than
to be put together in the story above wherein the finish
ers work One portion Of this story used cabinet
makers shop, wherein the finished put
gether chamber Of this story is termed the sounding
board ROOM wherein much of the delicate work of
the establishment goes Here the sounding boards
put in the blockngs prepared and the bottoms of
the pianos made up Upon the skill with which these
operations performed well the superiority of
the woods used depend in great the excellence
of the finished instrument In the cabinet makers shops
witnessed the process of putting the rosewood We
neers which is simple il certainly is perfect The
veneers principally of rosewood from Rio Janeiro,
which, after being seasoned in bulk in the yard before
described sawed in apartment below into the deli
sheets which afterwards made to assume the
ous shapes of the rich and exquisite moudngs of the
finished instrument After being steam dried each ly
ing separate from the other in the drying before
described they made to adhere the main body of
the and legs by being laid with of glue,
and kept in place until the glue sets permanently by
the application of cawls The caws pine boards for
plain surfaces moulds for curved carved angular
projections Previous to being applied the cawls
heated intense degree in steam boxes that they
may cause the veneers on which they screwed in
power presses to readily bend to the required shapes and
to remain required until the glue uuder them has firm
y set Among the ingenious contrvances of these shops
those for heating all the glue used consisting of
combination of steam pipes and potts. which absolutely
preclude the possibility of accidents from fire in heating
glue the fruitful cause Of the conagraton Of so many
cabinet makers and other work shops in this country
All the glue used in this establishment from the
factory of Peter Cooper of this city known the
first glue factor the world By discovery in his
art the particulars of which know not Mr. c. has done
for the business of cabinet making in the United
States than any other among Certain it is, that
since his glue came into little fine cabinet
has been imported into the United States the fail
ing in previously being in the liability Of all descrp
tons of American cabinet ware peel strip off the
veneering Indeed his glue is every where used for
fine cabinet work, much of it going the ocean.
After the veneers are ''cawled on" as described
above, the case parts are taken to vanishing rooms
where varnish is flowed upon them They next tho
roughly dried in the open air. sheds the
varnish has sufficiently prevent dust from adhering
to it. Next they taken polishing rooms, where
they hand-rubbed carefully and thoroughly to
reflect ones image, though formed Of French plate
glass The process of thus polishing up the is
requiring great skill and decacy of touch especially
upon portions of the work which have been carved. All
the carving of the establishment done the premises
VINO are INFERIOR 10 no Otner WOOD
engravers sptors in wood in the country. Ground
pumice-stone and 'rottenstone the materials used
in the polishing processes last described being applied
by of various TOOLS each designed fit the peculiar
shape Of the veneered surface undergoing the operation
In the highest story Of these buildings the instruments
finished up that is the sounding boards having been
placed in the in the third story they carried
the fifth, wherein the "acton" is placed in them and
Tn hasa
to increase the depth and volume Of the sound they pro-
duce All the bass strings used these shops are fabr
Gated the washburn Mills in Connections, of the
famous Jessup English Steel and covered here with
iron wire by machinery il being impossible TO hand
them with the regularity necessary the
perfect equality and correctness Of requisite in the
best instruments now manufactured In these finishing
the action small and delicate parts fn-
shed up and put together THESE consist Of the keys
key levers dampers and hammers with the various parts
of each Of these four chief componens The persons
ployed in this branch Of the business may all be justly
termed artists upon the decacy of their and the
skill their mechanical touch the finish tone the whole
depends, much the and artistic skill
othe maker Of the rstclass violin was delighted beyond
measure in witnessing in this branch Of this interesting
establishment the rgdty with which great but simple
mechanical truths adhered to in the putting together
confirming my belief that almost all that appears won
deru to the world in the handcrs Of genius is but the
result of stern and unyaryng calculation and study In
these finishing the instruments rough tuned"
They next lowered into the story below where they
regulated and tuned for the sales Broadway
and wherein the Eolian attachment Of Coleman, now
the property Of Messrs Nunns Clark is affixed to such
Of their instruments sold with it, This addition TO
the piano, though often described, is yet mperfecty
known to the community. In few words il is delicate
organ attachment, placed underneath the bottom Of the
piano. but entirely Independent Of the movements Of the
instrument and ALL be used by the player not
his taste may dictate This wonderful and beautiful
addition to the piano your readers will recollect is the
invention Of young American mechanic cousin Of
Mr.. Coleman Of the Astor House Those not familiar
with it have idea Of its simplicity. II consists of
bellows attached underneath the piano, which blows
admits the air reeds valves its uppermost surface
each Of which are touched and thus opened by slight
wires impinging on the valves II will be readily per-
ceved by the mechanic that the only connexion between
the piano movement and that Of the attachment is |
that OF these perpendicular wires being inserted
lerneath each KEY As a matter Of course therefore
the addition Of the attachment in manner affect
the tones Of the piano first last. In principle it is
simply attaching to the piano accordeon the KEYS
which are opened by the pressure Of slight wires in
serted into the bottom Of the piano keys as before re-
marked lever handle is hxed in the case at the side
i, the bass strings which, being slid towards the front Of
he piano detaches the eolian from the piano portion Of
he instrument II the player plies the bellows-pedal