An Improved Arrangement for Holding Gut and Metallic Strings in Sounding Boards of Harps.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left 10th July, 1896-Accepted. 12th Sept.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Arrangement for Holding Gut and Metallic Strings
in Sounding Boards of Harps.
GEORGE GOODWIN 192 Railton Road Herne Hill, London Harp Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Metal linings securely fixed in string peg holes, belled out at both ends forming
a perfectly smooth and easy curve upon which the string rests, so avoiding any
possibility of the string being cut, at the same time forming in each hole a clamp
securely holding front and back strips to sounding board, adding greatly to its
strength.
t 1005
GEORGE GOODWIN.
An Improved Arrangement for Holding Gut and Metallic Strings
in Sounding Boards of Harps.
I, GEORGE GOODWIN of 192 Railton Road, Herne Hill, in the County of
London, Harp Maker, 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 :-
According to this improvement a sounding board for a harp has the string holes
lined with metal, so that a smooth bearing surface is provided for the strings,
while the parts of the sounding board are firmly held together.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the sounding board of a
harp, showing my improvement.
Figure 2 is a transverse section through a single string peg hole, while
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the peg employed for fastening the strings.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A sounding board A has upper and lower strips B and C, laid on it, and string
peg holes bored in it in the usual way. These holes are lined with metal,
preferably in the form of a tube or ferrule D, which is inserted in the hole and
belled out at its ends, so as to hold the strips B and C firmly in contact with the
sounding board A, while forming a smooth bearing surface for the strings in
the holes, and particularly at the corner D1 where the string is liable to be frayed
or cut. The end of the string E is preferably secured in the manner shown in
Figure 1 by knotting the end, which is passed through the string peg hole, and
inserting the ordinary peg F in the hole, so that the string E lies in the groove Fl
in this peg.
If preferred the ferrules D may be constructed as hollow bolts, being externally
screw-threaded at one end for the reception of a nut together with a washer or
washers if necessary, or the ferrules may take the form of hollow screws, the
external screw-thread being carried throughout their length, or a suitable form of

page_text: hollow metal rivet or other equivalent arrangement (flat or hollowed plates for
example), such as will fulfil the objects above mentioned, miny be employed.
Lining the string peg holes with metal will be found to give an improved tone
to the instrument, while the strength of the sounding board is increased by binding
the parts together, in the manner indicated, while the liability to split both strips
and board by driving in the ivory pins or discs nt present used is avoided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a sounding board for a harp living one or more of the string holes with
metal.
2. In a sounding board for a harp the combination with the sounding board and
the strips B and C of a metal ferrule such as D substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a sounding board for a harp the combination with a string of a metal
bearing surface substantially as described.
4. In a sounding board for a harp securing together the portions of the sounding
board by mechanical means such as described.
5. In a sounding board for a harp securing together the portions of the sounding
board by metal ferrules hollow screws holts rivets or the like substantially as
described.
Dated this 9th day of July 1896
GEORGE GOODWIN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.