IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manu- FACTURE OF PIANOFORTES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE Manu-
FACTURE OF PIANOFORTES."-A communication from abroad by Auguste
Désiré Bernard Wolff, of the Firm of Pleyel, Wolff, and Company,
of Paris in the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th November 1875.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF PIANOFORTES," to be as follows:-

page_text: securely in their sockets without risk of working loose. To attain this
end the wrest plank is made of metal, preferably of cast iron, formed
with sockets, which severally correspond to one of the tuning pins, to
which the wires of the pianoforte are attached. These sockets are of a
cylindrical form enlarged laterally by longitudinal grooves. Into these
sockets are tightly fitted plugs of hard wood formed with ribs corre-
sponding to the grooves in the sockets. The use of the ribs is to
prevent the plugs from turning in the sockets should they become loose
from unskilful usage or from accident. When the plugs have been
driven home they are to be levelled with the wrest plank, and pierced
with central holes to receive the "wrest pins."
This improvement it will be understood is equally applicable to hori-
zontal and upright pianos.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PIANOFORTES," being
a communication to me from abroad by Auguste Desiré Bernard Wolff,
of the Firm of Pleyel, Wolff, and Company, of Paris, in the Republic of

page_text: France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to secure a strong and firm foundation
for the tuning or "wrest pins" of pianofortes, so that the pins may be
held securely in their sockets without risk of working loose. To attain
this end the wrest plank is made of metal, preferably of cast iron,
formed with sockets or recesses, which severally correspond to one of
the tuning pins, to which the wires of the pianoforte are attached.
These sockets are of a cylindrical form enlarged laterally by longitudinal
grooves. Into these sockets are tightly fitted plugs of hard wood formed
with ribs corresponding to the grooves in the sockets. The use of the
ribs is to prevent the plugs from turning in the sockets, should they
become loose from unskilful usage or from accident. When the plugs
have been driven home they are to be levelled with the wrest plank, and
pierced with central holes to receive the wrest pins.
The manner in which the wrest plank is constructed is shown at
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawing, which represent a
transverse section and plan of the same.
According to this Invention it will be seen that the wooden wrest
plank generally employed in pianofortes is replaced by one of cast
iron A, which is provided with cylindrical recesses, a corresponding in
number with the tuning or wrest pins of the pianoforte. Into each
recess is driven a hard wooden plug b, the diameter of which is slightly
greater than that of the recess. To prevent the turning of the plug in
its seat while the pianoforte is being tuned grooves c, d, e, f, are formed.

page_text: in the sides of the recess, and the plugs are ribbed to correspond thereto.
By the act of inserting the plugs they will be compressed in the
recesses a. The plank thus prepared is pierced (as in the ordinary
manner) with holes for the reception of the pins C; around which the
ends of the strings are coiled as usual.
E
As the wooden plug cannot split, being supported on all sides, and
will only yield by reason of its elasticity to the pin as it is being driven
in, the tightness of the pins will be assured, and thus the tendency of
the instrument to get out of tune will be in great part removed. This
wrest plank may be made of wrought iron, cast iron, or brass, and it.]
may be conveniently made in one piece with a cast-iron framing; or it.
It is
may be secured by bolts to a framing of wrought iron or of wood.
equally applicable to grand, square, or upright pianofortes.
-
To prevent the wrest plank from being too heavy it is made as
indicated in section at Fig. 1. The wrest plank is only made thick at
the part destined to receive the pins, the other portions, which is to
receive the plank bridge, is thin.
The required angle may be given to the strings by inclining the wrest
plank as shown at Fig. 1.
Besides the advantages already described with respect to the firmness 1
of the pins and the consequent maintenance of the strings in tune the
Invention allows of the wrest plank being readily renewed in its essential
parts.
Supposing a plug to become worn out by an awkward tuner or by
accident it has only to be removed and replaced by another.
Figures 3 and 4 show in elevation and plan view the shape of the
wrest plank A as applied to upright pianofortes. It is affixed solidly
to the frame of the pianoforte by its extremities a, a¹. The raised
parts 6 shown in Fig. 4 are the ends of bars, which in a cast-iron frame
unite the upper wrest plank to the plank of attachment.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture of Pianofortes," as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, constructing wrest planks with sockets

page_text: or recesses, into which are fitted plugs for receiving the wrest pins in
the manner and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.