IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Enoch Farr, William Tarr, and
Isaac Gregory at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd October 1865.
We, ENOCH FARR, of 40, Cavendish Street, and WILLIAM TARR, of
112, York Street, both in Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Manchester, and ISAAC
GREGORY, F.R.G.S., of Victoria Park, Manchester, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as
follow:→
The improvements consist in fixing the bottom end of the sticker firmly to
the key, by which the sticker and key unitedly become a single lever,
rendering unnecessary the use of sticker levers, vellum joints, or centres. By
this arrangement an increased valuable forward motion is obtained at the top
end of the sticker, an equally valuable backward motion being the necessary
result of the sticker's return. The great importance of these motions will be
hereafter shewn. The lower end of the hopper is attached to the upper
portion of the said sticker so as to bring the hopper into direct contact with
the hammer-butt, by which the impulse given to the key is communicated at
once to the hammer without the intervention of the usual frictional joints
and motions. A regulating wire with button is inserted in the sticker. The
button is behind and entirely isolated from the hopper, the top end of the

page_text: hopper itself resting against the hammer-butt. The aforesaid forward motion
of the sticker bringing the button into contact with the hopper necessitates
the escape of the hopper from under the hammer-butt without perceptible
friction to the most sensitive touch.
The advantages of these improvements are as follow:-Firstly, a simple
and most efficient escape is ensured; secondly, the sticker united with the
key moves in a fork placed at its upper end, by which an absolute steadiness
of the key is maintained; thirdly, by avoiding the use of vellum joints,
leather hinges, or centres, which have been hitherto commonly used to
maintain the position and action of the sticker, an almost entire avoidance of
friction is secured.
The improvements consist further in the use of a new pendent damper and
a new and improved process of damping the strings; by centering the top
end of the damper to a fork, which is attached to the hammer rail; by
making the pendent damper sufficiently long to reach beyond a regulating
button or wire inserted in the sticker. The button or wire being brought
into contact with the lower end of the pendent damper by the aforesaid
backward motion of the sticker presses the damper against the strings. The
sticker is connected by a flexible bridle with the lower end of the damper, and
thus the sticker by means of the aforesaid forward motion draws the damper
from the strings. The hammer rail serves also as the damper rail, and being
made to move on a centre fixed in a right line with the centre of the hammer-
butts, when pressed forward at the top edge by the action of the damper
pedal it removes the dampers from the strings without disturbing or affecting
the hammer-butts, and by releasing the damper pedal the rail and dampers
resume their former position.
The advantages of this new pendent damper are, firstly, that it is perfectly
facile in its action, and is pressed against the strings by the weight of the
sticker and key, thus avoiding the use and obstruction of springs or weights,
which produce friction, and which increase the weight of the touch; secondly,
the position of the damper cloths or heads upon the damper is so arranged
that whatever pressure may be necessary to damp the strings, only part of
that pressure is required to be given by the sticker and key, the leverage of
the damper supplying the rest, the important result of which is that a most
effective damper is obtained without the use of either springs or leaden
weights, and without injuring the delicacy of the touch.
The improvements consist further in attachi ga spring to the check lever,
and in fixing a bridle into the check lever rail, which bridle (passing through
hole perforated in the check lever) is hooked on to the said spring. The
3

page_text: force of this spring is transmitted by the check lever to the front sticker, and
thence to the key, effecting the prompt return of the whole action. This
spring also performs the important function of regulating to the utmost
nicety the weight and equality of the touch. The application of this spring
also avoids the injurious momentum and other evils arising from the use of
leaden weights (hitherto adopted), none of which are required in this action.
The results of these improvements are a much greater simplicity of con-
struction, the reduction of friction to nil, a much smaller number of parts,
much less wear and tear, consequently less liability to derangement, and hence
increased durability, greater promptness of action, an increased precision and
fullness of tone, with greater elasticity, liquidity, and delicacy of touch, the
elimination of all dead mechanical weight and obstruction, and the avoidance
of everything that does not directly contribute to the efficiency and excellence
of the pianoforte.