CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES AND OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CHARLES SCHWIESO, of Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex, Musical.
Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Second day of February, in the first year of His reign,
did, for Himself, his heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Charles Schwieso, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Charles Schwieso, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Charles Schwieso, my exors, adñors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
mako, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES AND
OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said John Charles Schwieso, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same; reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Charles Schwieso, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described aud

page_text: Figure 1 represents part of what I call the rest plate, which is made of
cast iron, and is affixed to the rest plank, which bears the power or stretch
of the strings of the instrument. Heretofore the tuning pins have been
applied to the rest plank, but by my improvements I am enabled to apply the
pins to a strong metal a plate which forms part of the rest plank, and thus
strengthens and is of the same length with it. I am now speaking with
reference to applying my improvements to pianofortes, which I will first
describe, and afterwards their applications to other stringed instruments. In
each of the Figures in the Drawing the same letter refer to similar parts.
a, Figure 1, being the iron plate or rest plate running from side to side of the
pianoforte, and through this plate a, the holes b, b, b, are drilled for tho
purpose of receiving the tuning pins c, c, c, in the manner hereafter described.
These holes b, b, b, have countersunk recesses on, cach side for the purpose of
receiving the binding or friction collars d and i, which are affixed to the
tuning pins c, c, c. Figure 2 is an edge view of the rest plank e and plate a,
affixed thereto by means of screws, and the rubbet or groove f formed or
cast in the metal plate a to receive the edge of tho rest plank c, as shewn
in the Drawing. Figure 3 shews one of the tuning pins c separately,
having a fixed collar i, a square head g, and a screw h. Figure 4 represents
another collar d, having a female screw cut therein to fit the screw on the
tuning pin c. By this Figuro it will be seen that at the top of this collar d
there are four holes drilled for the purpose hereafter described. Figure 5
shews one of two leather washers, which are placed one on each side of the
rest plate a, and it is by the binding of the collars d and i on these washers
which produces the proper friction for holding the tuning pins in whatever
position they are brought by turning them by the key for the purpose of
tuning the strings. In the Drawing I have not thought it necessary to
shew a pianoforte, because the application of my improvements will be
well understood by any competent workman. The part of the rest plank e
and rest plate a here shown are for a grand horizontal piano, and has
j

page_text: three strings to, each note, and consequently three tuning pins c, c, c, one
to each string, and in the Drawing I have only represented one set of
strings proceeding from three pins, which are drawn in their proper places.
The strings k, k, k, are passed through the holes 1, 1, 1, of the tuning pin c
in the usual manner, and thence through the hole drilled in plate a. In
order to put the tuning pins into their places in the rest plate a, the
square head i is to be passed from the under side through the holes drilled
in the plate a, having first placed over the collar i one of the leather
washers, and the other washer is to be placed in the top of the plate a,
and then the collar d is to be screwed on to the screw h of the tuning
pin c by means of the instrument, Figure 6, the two projecting points of that
instrument taking into two of the holes j, j, drilled on the top of the collar d,
by which means it will be screwed down tightly on to the washer on the under
side thereof, which will bring the two collars d and i to bind tightly on the
plate a, and thus will sufficient friction be obtained for keeping the pin c to
any position, to which it may afterwards be turned, by means of the turning
key, Figure 7, which is formed somewhat differently from the common tuning
key, it having two point m, m, in addition to the square pipe the square pipe
taking hold of the square head g of the tuning pin c, and the two points m, m,
taking into two of the holes j, j, drilled on the collar d, and thus will the turning
pin c, and the collar d, be turned in one direction, and yet at the same time
the screw will not make the collar d more tight on the washer, the object of
the screw being only to get the collars sufficiently to bind, in the first instance;
and afterwards the collar d acts as a fixed collar. Figure 8 and 10 represent a
circular piece of metal, having a square hole n formed therein, and also a
round hole o; this circular plate is for the purpose of fixing the collar d to the
tuning pin c, and when this plate is used a common tuning key will only be
necessary, for when the collar d is screwed down and sufficiently tight to produco
the necessary friction, the plate, Figure 8, is to be passed over the square
head g of the pin c, and then by means of a screw passed through the hole
o into another hole formed in the collar d, will prevent the collar d from
being acted on by the screw h, when turned in the act of tuning. Figure 9
represents a tuning pin applicable to a harp, and in this Figure part of the
top of the woodwork or neck of the harp is shewn in section, c being the
tuning pin, i the fixed collar; and d the one which screws on to the screw h;
but in this instance there are no leather washers, the two collars d and i
producing sufficient binding or friction against the two sides of the wood to
retain them in the position into which they have been turned by the tuning
fork. Figure 10 represents a tuning pin applicable to a violin, violincello,

page_text: and other similar instruments; and in a guitar similar to thoso for a harp will
be used, but smaller and shorter. I would observe, that by applying black
lead or chalk to the surface of the washers and collars, an increased effect
will be produced.
Having now described the nature and construction of my improvements in
pianofortes and other stringed instruments, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, first, the forming of the rest plate a (which carries the
tuning pins in pianofortes) of cast iron, or of other sufficiently strong metal,
whereby great strength will be obtained; and secondly, I claim the construct-
ing of tuning pins for pianofortes and other stringed instruments, having two
binding or friction collars similar to d and i, for the purpose of producing
sufficient friction to the turning pins c, whereby the strings affixed thereto will
be kept to their proper tension, and whereby the proper pitch of the note of
such strings will be more easily and readily obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Charles Schwieso, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-one.
J. C. SCHWIESO. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1831, the aforesaid John Charles Schwieso came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained, and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statuto made for the purpose.
Inrolled the Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and thirty-one.