IMPROVEMENTS IN STRINGING AND TUNING PIANOFORTES AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRU-.
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Moody,, of Handsworth, in the County. of:
Stafford, Pianoforte Tuner, and William James Huband, of Handsworth,
aforesaid, Photographer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STRINGING AND TUNING PIANOFORTES AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRU-.
13-
Sealed the 29th September 1865, and dated the 4th April 1865..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Moody and'
William James Huband, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th April 1865.
We, WILLIAM MOODY, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Pianoforte
Tuner, and WILLIAM JAMES HUBAND, of Handsworth, aforesaid, Photographer,.
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STRINGING AND TUNING PIANOFORTES AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,"""
to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in that
part of the mechanism of pianofortes by which the stringing and. tuning are
effected, which said improvements are also applicable to other stringed musical
instruments, such, for example, as harps, violins, violoncellos, double basses,,
guitars, and others."
In
We will describe our Invention as applied to an upright pianoforte. At
the top of the pianoforte, and in front of the sounding board, is a horizontal.
metal rail or frame firmly attached to the framing of the instrument.
this rail is a series of holes, the said boles being situated opposite the ends of
the wires or strings respectively. The ends of the strings or wires are attached

page_text: to small square blocks of metal having stems, the ends of which stems pass
through the holes in the metal rail or frame. A screw thread is cut on each
of the said stems, and after the said stems have been passed through the holes
in the rail or frame, screw nuts are screwed on the ends of the said stems,
the said screw nuts being of larger diameter than the holes in the rail or
frame. By turning in one or other direction the said screw nuts the stems
are drawn more or less through the holes in the rail or frame, and the blocks
to which the wires are fastened being drawn to a greater or less distance
from the bridge, the tension of the wires or strings is increased or diminished.
A groove is formed in the block which runs down one side, across the bottom,
and up the opposite side, the top of each end of the groove being slightly
expanded. The wire is secured to the block by its end being laid in the
groove on one side of the block, passed over the bottom groove, and up the
groove on the other side, round the stem, and down the groove along which it
was first passed. The screw nuts described are made of a long or tubular
figure, their length being such that the screwed ends of the stems when they
are drawn into the said nuts to the fullest extent do not protrude out of the
tops of the said nuts. The top of each tubular screw nut has a cross nick
similar to that of an ordinary screw, and by placing a key shaped like a screw-
driver in the top of the screw nut it may be turned, and the wire tightened
or slackened.
By the use of the mechanism described the instrument can be tuned with
the greatest nicety and ease, and it keeps in tune a long time in consequence
of the mechanism by which the wires are tightened being incapable of relaxing
accidentally.
In applying our Invention to grand and horizontal pianofortes, and to
violins and other stringed musical instruments, the details of the mechanism
require to be modified to suit the particular instrument, but the nature of our
Invention is essentially the same in its various applications.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Moody and William James Huband in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 30th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
MOODY, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Pianoforte Tuner, and
WILLIAM JAMES HUBAND, of Handsworth, aforesaid, Photographer, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said William Moody and William James Huband, Her special
licence that we, the said William Moody and William James Huband,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Moody and William James Huband, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRINGING AND TUNING PIANOFORTES AND OTHER
STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said William Moody and William James Huband, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the band and seal of one of us or them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Moody and William
James Huband, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in that
part of the mechanism of pianofortes by which the stringing and tuning are
effected, which said improvements are also applicable to other stringed musical
instruments, such, for example, as harps, violins, violoncellos, double basses,
guitars, and others.
We will describe our Invention as applied to an upright pianoforte. At
the top of the pianoforte and in front of the sounding board is a horizontal
metal rail or frame firmly attached to the framing of the instrument. In
this rail is a series of holes, the said holes being situated opposite the ends of
the wires or strings respectively. The ends of the strings or wires are attached
to small square blocks of metal having stems, the ends of which stems pass
through the holes in the metal rail or frame. A screw thread is cut on each
of the said stems, and after the said stems have been passed through the holes
in the rail or frame screw nuts are screwed on the ends of the said stems,

page_text: the said screw nuts being of larger diameter than the holes in the rail or
frame. By turning in one or other direction the said screw nuts the stenis
are drawn more or less through the holes in the rail or frame, and the blocks
to which the wires are fastened being drawn to a greater or less distance
from the bridge, the tension of the wires or strings is increased or diminished.
A groove is formed in the block which runs down one side, across the bottom,
and up the opposite side, the top of each end of the groove being slightly
expanded. The wire is secured to the block by its end being laid in the
groove on one side of the block, passed over the bottom groove and up the
groove on the other side, round the stem and down the groove along which it
was first passed. The screw nuts described are made of a long or tubular
figure, their length being such that the screwed ends of the stems when they
are drawn into the said nuts to the fullest extent do not protrude out of tho
tops of the said nuts. The top of each tubular screw nut has a cross nick
similar to that of an ordinary screw, and by placing a key shaped like a screw-
-driver in the top of the screw nut it may be turned and the wire tightened or
:slackened.
By the use of the mechanism described the instrument can be tuned with
the greatest nicety and ease, and it keeps in tune a long time in consequence
of the mechanism by which the wires are tightened being incapable of relaxing
-accidentally.
In applying our Invention to grand and horizontal pianofortes, and to
violins and other stringed musical instruments, the details of the mechanism
+require to be modified to suit the particular instrument, but the nature of our
'Invention is essentially the same in its various applications.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
t
Figure 1 represents in elevation the upper part of an upright pianoforte to
which our Invention is applied; Figures 2, 3, and 4 represent our Invention
on a larger scale, Figure 2 being a front elevation, Figure 3 an end. elevation,
and Figure 4 a section. The same letters indicate the same parts in Figures 1,
2, 3, and 4.
At the top of the pianoforte. and in front of the sounding board is a hori-
zontal metal rail a, firmly attached to the frame of the instrument. In the
said rail a is a series of holes, the said holes being situated opposite the ends.
of the wires or strings b.respectively. The ends of the wires bare jattached
(in the manner herein-after particularly explained) to small, square blocks c
having stems, the ends of which stems are made into screws marked d, the

page_text: said screws passing through the holes in the metal frame or rail a. After the
said screws & have been passed through the holes in the rail a, screw nuts e
of a tubular form are screwed on the protruding ends of the said screws d above
the rail a. The screw nuts e are of a larger diameter than the holes in the
rail a.
The top of each of the tubular screw nuts e has a cross nick e² in it
similar to that of an ordinary screw, the said screw nuts being turned by a
key of the form represented in Figure 5. By introducing the key, Figure 5,
into the nick of the screw nuts c, and turning the said screw nuts in one or
other direction, the screws d are drawn more or less through the holes in the
rail or frame a, and the blocks c, to which the wires 6 are fastened, are drawn
to a greater or less distance from the bridge f of the pianoforte, and the
tension of the wires or strings b is increased or diminished. We fasten the
wires 6 to the blocks c in the following manner:-A groove g is formed in
one side of the block, across the bottom, and up the opposite side, the top of
each end of the groove being slightly expanded. The shape of the groove g
will be best understood by referring to the separate views, Figure 6, which
represents the opposite sides of one of the blocks c. The wires 6 are secured
to the blocks c by the end of each wire being laid in the groove g in the side
of the block marked h in Figure 6; the wire is carried down the groove, along
the bottom and up the groove in the opposite side of the block marked i in
Figure 6, round the stem, and passing over the end 63 of the wire b is carried
down the groove in the side i, along which it had been previously passed, as
will be understood by referring to Figures 3 and 4.
The application of our Invention to grand and horizontal pianofortes
differs in no material respect from its application to upright pianofortes herein-
before, described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 7 represents in plan, and Figure 8 in elevation, a violin to which
our Invention is applied, and Figure 9 is a section of a portion of the same
on a larger scale. In this application of our Invention the blocks to which
the strings of the violin are fastened, slide in grooves m made in the head n
of the fingerboard of the instrument. The screw stems p. pass through holes
in the end plate q, and the ornamental screw nuts r work against the outside
of the said end plate q. The head n of the. fingerboard constitutes a box, in
which the blocks and screw stems p work. The said box is provided with a
binged lid or covers (shewn removed in Figure 7), by raising which access
can be obtained to the blocks k for renewing the strings or for other purposes.
By turning the ornamental screw nuts in one or other direction the screw
stems p can be drawn more or less through the holes in the end plate q, and
the tension of the strings increased or diminished.

page_text: The arrangements described and represented are applicable to other stringed
instruments, such as harps, violoncellos, double basses, guitars, and others,
the details being modified to suit the particular instrument to which our
Invention is to be applied, in no case, however, does the arrangements of
parts differ materially from those herein-before described and represented.
Stringed musical instruments provided with our Invention can be tuned with
the greatest nicety and ease, and they keep in tune a long time in consequence
of the mechanism by which the wires or strings are tightened being incapable
of relaxing accidentally.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented in
the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the improvements in
stringing and tuning pianofortes and other stringed musical instruments
herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, stringing and tuning the said instruments by means of mechanism
consisting of screwed stems having blocks at their ends, to which the wires
or strings are fixed, the said blocks being drawn by the screwed stems to a
greater or less distance from the bridge of the instrument by means of screw
nuts, and the tension of the wires or strings thereby increased or diminished.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Moody and William James
Huband, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-ninth
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM MOODY.
(L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
WILLIAM JAMES HUBAND. (L.S.)
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.