Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-03-15
HOW PIANOS ARE BUILT.
Curious Facts Regarding Their Manufact-
ure and sale-Many Makers to One
Piano.

ories In this country can justly claim
to make their instruments from begin
ming to finish.
Large establishments devoted to the
manufacture of some particular por-
tions Of the instrument have sprung
up Of late. and have so revolutiOnizeG
the art of piano making that in some
shops not single part of the COM
pleted instrument is made in the fact
ory.
There are probably a dozen places
in New York and vicinity devoted ex-
clusively to the making of cases. A
like number make. the beautiful and
delicate piece of mechanism known as
the action, and as many foundries cast
the heavy iron plates which sustain
the enormous strain of the strings.
There are also manufacturers of sound
ing boards, and of wrest planks into
which the tuning pins are set, carvers
of legs, Tyres. and trusses, importers
of felts and cloths, winders of wrapped
strings for the lower notes. and draw
ers of thinner wires for the upper
notes.
Several large houses make spec
ialty of pianoforte hardware, and q
half dozen cutters of ivory supply
complete keyboards with black keys
of ebony and white keys of medium
quality of ivory. Other establishments
make keys of various compositions,
principally of celluloid, and even the
stencil plates for the name are often
furnished by the varnish dealer. Thus,
nothing remains to be made at the
factory but the name, and that is
sometimes of the most adroit work
manship.
One of the largest buildings on the
west side of this city, with a capacity
for turning out the enormous number
of 60 to 70 completed instruments a
week, makes no part of the piano but
the name, and quite frequently even
that is furnished to them by the dealer
who buys largely enough to justify
having his own name put on as the
maker.
1t is not, however, to be inferred
that all instruments, built and put to.
gether like blocks in Il puzzle are nee
essarily inferior.
The quality of a pianoforte depends
upon two essentials-the scale, and
the care with which il is constructed
and finished.
The scale is q matter of scientific ac-
curacy in form, balance and proper
tions of the iron frame over which the
strings are stretched, and its adjust
ment to tho sounding board. This is
generally most readily arrived at by
borrowing from some leading maker.
A first-class piano is secured and taken
to pieces, the frame of scale is copied,
often by making casting from the
original plate, and the new manu-
facture is equipped with successful
scale, without experiencing any of the
delay and disappointment incident to
experiments in search of the new and
the beautiful.
The casemaker is next visited, and
it is found that moderate price will
buy case suitable for high-class
instrument, and one less elaborate,
made of lighter material, can be had
for surprisingly small sum.
While the case, which is made of
white wood and ash, veneered with
something more expensive, is getting
its first coat of tie stain which is to
turn it into rosewood, ebony, or cher
~, the skilled workmen are putting
the frame and sounding board to-
gether. The stringing is then done,
the pins being driven into place with
a hammer instead of being carefully
screwed in as in the old-fashioned
days of conscientious work and high
prices.
While this is in hand, the case is
glued together, having received its
several coats of varnish.
More rosewood pianos are made than
of all the other sorts combined; yet
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