IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PIANOFORTES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, GEORGE PERRY VENABLES trading under the name of C. Venables & Co
of 187 & 189 Essex Road, Islington in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PIANOFORTES to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to protect the hammers of pianofortes from the
injurious effect of damp arising from the absorption of moisture from the air.
I will explain my invention in connection with what is known as a cabin
pianoforte, it being especially applicable to pianofortes which are exposed to varying
temperatures.
In this class of instrument, the keyboard, as is well known, is hinged to permit
of its being turned up when out of use and thereby economizing space.
The hammer heads I propose to cover with a thin coating of specially prepared
elastic paint or of india rubber, which must be treated in some one of the well
known ways to prevent its becoming tacky in a hot, or hard in a cold atmosphere.
This coating will completely cover the hammer head except at that part which
comes in contact with the strings. This I leave untouched by the india rubber
coating, as otherwise the tone of the instrument might be deteriorated, and I protect
the exposed portion of the felt from absorbing moisture by covering it with a
transverse bar which lies in contact with the striking part of all the hammers when
the instrument is closed, but which will rise clear of the hammers when the piano-
forte is opened.
The bar I support in the action frame by means of pivot pins and I lift it clear
of the hammers automatically as the keyboard is brought down to the playing
position.
Situate under one end of this bar is a vertical rod which is free to move in guides
and force the bar upwards clear of the hammers.
The rise of this rod is effected by a post which stands out from the keyboard
and acting as a tappet by the dropping of the keyboard to the horizontal position
lifts the rod in its guides and with it the pivotted transverse bar; thus the hammers
are left free so long as the instrument is open or in use. On closing the instrument
the support for the vertical rod is withdrawn and the pivotted bar then drops and
covers the striking portion of the hammers.
It will be obvious that in instruments constructed with a fixed keyboard, the
automatic rocking of the pivotted covering bar may be obtained from the falling
front which covers the keyboard.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Pianofortes.
I GEORGE PERRY VENABLES, trading under the name of C. Venables & C°
of 187 & 189 Essex Road, Islington in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to protect the hammers of Pianofortes from the
injurious effect of damp arising from the absorption of moisture from the air.
I will explain my invention in connection with what is known as a cabin piano-
forte, it being especially applicable to pianofortes which are exposed to varying
temperatures.
In this class of instrument, the keyboard, as is well known, is hinged to permit
of its being turned up when out of use, and thereby economizing space.
The hammer heads I propose to cover with a thin coating of india rubber,
treated in some one of the well known ways to prevent its becoming tacky in 'a
hot, or hard in a cold atmosphere.
This coating will completely cover the hammer head, except at that part which
comes in contact with the strings, which part I leave untouched by the waterproof
coating, as otherwise the tone of the instrument might be deteriorated. The
exposed portion of the felt I protect from absorbing moisture by covering it with
a transverse bar, which lies in contact with the striking part of all the hammers
when the instrument is closed, but which will rise clear of the hammers when the
pianoforte is opened.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shews, in cross section, so much of a cabin pianoforte as will serve to
explain the nature of my invention; and
Fig. 2 is a front view of one of the coated hammer heads.
A is the keyboard standing open for use, and B B¹ represent two keys mounted
thereon.
Overlying the tail end of each key is a lever C, pivotted at c to the hammer
rail D, which carries the hammers E.
Attached to each lever C, by means of a pivot pin f, is a hopper F, which, when
raised by the depression of the key, strikes against a shoulder at the butt of the
hammer in the well known manner, and causes the hammer to rise and sound the
desired note.
Overlying the hammers is a transverse bar H, which is supported in the action
frame, at its extremities, by means of pivot pins . This bar is lifted clear of the
hammers automatically, as the keyboard is brought down to the playing position,
in the following manner.
Situate under once, or it may be both ends of this bar, is a vertical rod I, which
is free to move between guides ii in the action frame, for the purpose of raising
the bar clear of the hammers. The rise of this rod is effected by a post a, which
stands up from the keyboard, and, acting as a tappet, by the dropping of the key-
board to the horizontal position; lifts the rod in its guides, and with it the pivotted

page_text: transverse bar H; thus the hammers are left free so long as the instrument is open
or in use. On closing the instrument, the post a, which supports the vertical rod I,
is withdrawn, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the pivotted bar then
drops to the dotted position, and covers the striking portion of the hammers.
To ensure the return of the rod I to its norinal position, I apply thereto a spring i¹,
which is slightly compressed by the rise of the rod, and thus receives a tendency
to force it down to the dotted position; and to prevent the rod I from dropping
away from its guides, I fit to it a stop pin 2, which, when the rod is deprived of
its underlying support a, will drop, and rest on the top of the guides.
It will be obvious that in instruments constructed with a fixed keyboard, the
automatic rocking of the pivotted covering bar may be obtained from the falling
front which covers the keyboard.
.
Referring now to the hammer head, Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the felt
covering of the hammer is completely covered with hatched lines, except at the
striking part e, which lines represent the damp resisting substance.
To obtain an
efficient resist to the moisture of the atmosphere, I prefer to paint the hammer
heads with a solution of India rubber, applying thereto a second coat after the
first is dry, a third coat after the second is dry, and a film of dry rubber while the
third coat is wet, or in a state to act as a cement for securing the adhesion of the
film or thin sheet rubber to the hammer.
As the exposed part e of the felt covering is always protected, except when the
instrument is in use, by the bar H (which is clothed with some soft substance, to
prevent its injuring the hammers), the liability of the bammers to absorb moisture
from the air will be entirely avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is
The means above described for protecting the hammers of Pianofortes from
absorbing moisture from the atmosphere.