IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1872. A communication from abroad by Heinrich
Huebscher, of Klingenthal, in the Kingdom of Saxony, German
Empire.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," (a com-
munication to me from abroad by Heinrich Huebscher, of Klingenthal,
in the Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire), to be as follows:-
In manufacturing musical instruments it has hitherto been the custom
to employ wood in such a manner that, for instance, the covers and cases
of accordions and concertinas, the bottoms, touchboards, holders, or
supports and stops of stringed instruments, the tubes of flutes, flageolets,
or piccolo flutes, and drone pipes, clarionets, hautboys, bassoons, have all
been made of wood. This employment of wood is subject to decided
disadvantages, for when such like instruments are exported to warm. or
hot climates, a large percentage of the article usually arrives at its desti-
nation in a damaged state, partially broken, partially cracked or torn.
This Invention is designed to supersede the material hitherto employed,
viz., wood, by substituting therefor other materials which, without

page_text: deteriorating the value of an instrument with regard to its sound, will
not be subject to the injuries described above, such as tearing, cracking,
and breaking. For this purpose in manufacturing the above named
musical instruments two materials are employed which will in every
respect answer all expectations coupled with the essential advantage |
that certain embellishments and inlaid ornaments with which it is
customary to decorato a particular class of instruments can be applied
with ease, and in a much safer manner than formerly.
The materials employed according to this Invention are hard rubber
and wood paste soaked in glycerine. On applying hard rubber, the
mode of preparing the instruments or parts of instruments is as follows,
for instance, if the covers of harmoniumis are to be made the soft india-
rubber is thrust into the respective moulds and subjected to pressure,
the ornaments or parts to be inserted, which may be composed of german
silver, ivory, mother of pearl, or other material are then pressed into the
soft plastic mass; the rubber is then hardened by the well-known mode
of vulcanising, and finally the surfaces of the covers containing the
ornaments are ground and polished.
The mode of manufacturing the instruments or parts of instruments
when wood paste soaked in glycerine is applied, is similar to the above
wood paste or pulp as employed by paper manufacturers, is moistened
with water to a stiff plastic pulp to which is added glycerine for the
purpose of accelerating the drying and for more convenient final
manipulation.
The ornaments or inserted parts are not placed in the covers until
the same are rudely completed, that is, after they have been pressed
into the moulds, namely, in the following manner:-The mass having
been pressed into the cover mould is next overlaid with a thick slimy
color varnish, the ornaments are then inserted by pressure, and the
article being ready is then dried. Varnish is then again drawn over the
entire article including the ornaments, and if necessary this is repeated a
third time; drying again takes place, and finally, by way of polishing the
entire surface is ground with emery and polishing discs or pullies.