Improvements in Felt for Pianoforte Hammers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Felt for Pianoforte Hammers..
GEORGE DANIEL ROSE 33 Great Pulteney Street London W. Pianoforte
Maker do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the production of those felts commonly used in the
manufacture of pianoforte hammers. Usually those felts are made of similar
character throughout their thickness but I propose to use two or more qualities or
characters of wool in their manufacture making the felt with an outer layer or
layers of wool of long and strong staple or combination of wool and other suitable
textile or felting material while the body of the sheets or other form of felt is made
of the usual quality. In some cases the hardness or variation in texture or
toughness may be differential through the whole thickness in this way I produce a
felt of much greater durability and of better tone producing properties than
hitherto obtained as by my process I am able to use for the exterior of the hammer
a much stronger and longer wool or more suitable wool or other material than can
he used to produce the firm and close quality of felt necessary for the interior of
the hammer. According to a modification of my invention I employ a strong
woven material of hemp silk flax or other fibre to form the surface of a greater or
less part of the whole thickness of the felt into which the body is felted or
incorporated. I also make the felts in sets instead of sheets in which case the felt
would generally be pressed or formed in a mould to the desired form one object
being to avoid the destructive bending of the felt which occurs with the present
method of forming the hammer cover.
METHOD OF MANUFACTURE,
In building up the sheet of felt a layer composed of spun silk or other material
and wool specially combed is placed immediately beneath the surface layer it is
then felted in which process the wool under the silk layer combining with that on
the surface knits the intermediate layer (silk & wool) so firmly as to render the
surface perfectly indestructible.
improvements i
I GEORGE DANIEL ROSE of 33 Great Pulteney Street London, Pianoforte
Manufacturer 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 :--
My invention relates to the manufacture of felts used in the manufacture of
pianoforte hammers.
Usually these felts are made of materials similar in character throughout their
thickness but I use two or more qualities or characters of wool in their manufacture
Price sd.l

page_text: making the felt with an outer layer or layers of wool of long and strong staple or
combination of wool and other suitable textile and felting materials while the body
of the sheet or other form of felt is made of the usual quality. In some cases the
hardness or variation in texture or toughness may be differential through the
thickness of felted fabric.
"
In this way I produce a felt of much greater durability and of better tone-
producing properties than hitherto obtained, as by my process I am able to use for
the exterior or striking face of the hammer a much stronger and longer wool or
more suitable wool or other material than can by the usual methods of manufacture
be used to produce the firm and close quality of felt necessary for the interior of
the hammer.
According to my invention I employ a strong woven material of hemp, silk, flax
or other suitable fibre to form the surface or the immediately sub-surfaces of the
sheet.
This strong woven material is preferably in two layers but may form a
considerable part of the thickness of the sheet. Into this layer or layers of
woven material the body of the sheet is felted or incorporated thus producing a
stratified felted structure.
In building up the sheet of felt the mode of procedure is preferably as follows.
A layer composed of finely spun flax, hemp, jute or other suitable fibre such as
spun silk and wool selected for its quality and long staple and properly combed is
placed immediately beneath what will be the surface layer. It is then felted by
usual methods and in this process the wool under the woven fibrous layer is
combined or incorporated with that on the surface and firmly knits the intermediate
or alternate layers of fibre, and wool so that a strong structure is formed
with a surface which has great strength and toughness and for its purpose is
indestructible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
The formation of pianofore hammer felts by felting and combining together
layers of silk or similarly suitable woven fabrics with wool of different staples
substantially as herein before described.
Dated 19th day of October 1895.
GEORGE D. ROSE.