IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MUSICAL PISTON INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
"
and Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MUSICAL PISTON INSTRUMENTS."
A communication from abroad by Francis Sudre, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake and Co. Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
MUSICAL PISTON INSTRUMENTS" [A communication from abroad by Francis Sudre,
of Paris, France.]
This invention relates to improvements in musical instruments with pistons and
in the method of manufacturing the same. The first of these improvements is the
application of an automatic adjustment consisting of a lengthening of the slide
which operates only when the 1st and 3rd pistons are used together. The object
of this improvement is to adjust the notes which are produced with the 1st and
3rd pistons depressed; these notes being generally too high upon instruments with
three pistons; by this method they are perfectly adjusted without in any way
altering the other notes of the instrument."
The slide of the 3rd piston causes a return into the 1st piston so that the air may
pass from there through a bend and into a second slide when the 1st piston is
employed at the same time as the 3rd; but as this method requires a great length
of slide for the 3rd piston on account of the return that it effects into the first
piston it is necessary to obtain a greater length of slide for the 3rd piston without
making the note out of tune. I effect this object by a 3rd piston insulator which
the column of air passes through twice.
This message has besides the advantage of giving to the 3rd piston four straight
holes with a full bore in which a ball of the diameter of the bore can pass without
being retained therein; these improvements render the instruments very sonorous
because the interior shells of the 3rd piston are straight and without stoppers.

page_text: The column of air passes from the 3rd piston into the 1st piston, either above
the 2nd piston or by passing through it by means of two supplementary holes ;
this causes the column of air when the 3rd piston alone is depressed, to pass into
a bend and when the 1st piston is depressed at the same time as the 3rd, to pass
into the second slide leaving the said bend where the air no longer passes.
The second improvement consists in dispensing with a column of air when the
3rd piston is used; thereby adding length to the slide of the 3rd piston.
For bass instruments in which there is sufficient length of slide in the 3rd
piston I re-connect the 3rd piston to the 1st by a band passing above the 2nd
piston without passing through it.
Hitherto the semi-circles or forked pieces which form the ends of the tubes in
these musical instruments have been made in two parts stamped and soldered or
brazed at their edges; and there has generally remained in the interior cores or
seams of the solder and in order to have a regular bore or hole, it has been necessary
to press into the interior a metal ball and to smooth or render regular by means of
a hammer the inside and outside surfaces. This mode of operation requires much
time and involves considerable expense for workmanship.
The third improvement consists in a method of manufacture by machinery
which permits of forked-pieces or semi-circles of all sizes being made with a regular
bore or passage. According to this method the curved or forked piece is held in
the dies and forced into shape by a sphere of the proper diameter pressed into it
by means of spheres of smaller diameter. A straight tube of copper being bent
into semi-circular form is placed between the dies of the machine one of the said
dies being brought up to the other by means of a horizontal screw.
Above one
of the branches of the forked piece when in the machine is a screw which can be
made to descend by means of a fly-wheel or a lever. A horizontal lever is pivoted
upon the framework of the machine and is provided with an opening of the
diameter of the larger sphere.
When the curved or forked piece is in the die the horizontal lever is moved so
that its extremity rests upon the right hand branch of the curved or forked piece
and the screw is made to descend. This operation smooths the edge of the left
hand branch by expanding it. The screw is raised again and the horizontal lever
moved so that it will rest upon the left hand branch of the curved or forked piece
bearing this time upon the smoothed edge. The large sphere is inserted and the
screw caused to descend. The said sphere forces out the metal at the left hand
branch of the forked piece. The screw being raised a smaller sphere is inserted
and the screw again depressed. This is continued until the large sphere comes out
at the upper end of the other branch.
By this operation the said sphere gives to the forked piece a regular bore or
passage by rolling the metal of the ends towards the centre in such a manner that
the thickness will not be reduced in this part. The exterior surface is thereby
properly joined and rendered regular the metal having been pressed against the
dies

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
MUSICAL PISTON INSTRUMENTS A communication from abroad by Francis
Sudre, of Paris, France.
"3
This Invention relates to the manufacture of musical instruments operated by
means of pistons. The first of these improvements is the application of an automatic
adjustment consisting of a lengthening of the slide which is effected only when the
first and third pistons are used together. The object of this improvement is to
adjust the notes which are produced with the first and third pistons depressed;
these notes being generally too high upon instruments with three pistons; by this
method they are perfectly adjusted without in any way altering the other notes
of the instrument.
In Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing the slide of the third piston returns
into the first piston so that the air may pass from there through the bend H and
into the slide K when the first piston is employed at the same time as the third;
but as this method requires a great length of stop for the third piston, on account
of the return that it effects into the first piston, it is necessary to obtain a greater
length of slide for the third piston without making the note out of tune. I effect
this object by a third piston insulator which the column of air passes through
twice; for example the column of air as shown by the dotted line L passes into the
slide B to re-enter the body of the piston C; when the third piston only is
depressed the column of air, as shewn by the dotted line M, passes through F, G,
H, I, J to re-enter the body of the piston C, consequently it annuls the slide B and
gives all the length of the said slide B to the third piston which enables me
without changing the tone to have a slide of the third piston much longer than in
the ordinary method.
This method has moreover the advantage of giving to the third piston four
straight holes with a full bore in which a ball of the diameter of the bore can pass
without being retained or sticking therein; these improvements render the
instrument very sonorous because the interior shells of the third piston are straight
and without protuberances or inequalities.
This method does not in any way change the fingering of instruments with three
pistons; it perfectly adjusts the notes which are produced with the first and third
pistons depressed together, and does not cause any alteration, either when the first
or second pistons are used alone, or when the first and second, or the second and
third, are used together.
The column of air passes from the third piston into the first piston, either
above the second piston, or by passing through it by means of two supplementary
holes; this causes the column of air, when the third piston alone is depressed, to
pass into the bend H, and when the first piston is depressed at the saine time as
the third to pass into the slide K, leaving the bend H where the air no longer
passes.
The second improvement consists in the suppression of the column of air in B
which is annuled when the third piston is used; whereby the length of B is added
to the slide of the third piston.
The annexed drawing shows the said invention applied to a cornet-à-piston;

page_text: all instruments of this kind can be made in a similar manner, from the highest to
the deepest in tone.
For bass instruments in which there is sufficient length of slide in the third
piston, I cause the third piston to rejoin the first by means of a bend passing above
the second piston, without passing through it; for large instruments therefore I
depend upon the first part of my invention, that is to say, the lengthening of the
third piston into the first without in any way changing the notes which are
produced with the first and second pistons, or the second and third depressed
together.
Heretofore the semi-circles or bends which connect the ends of the tubes in these
musical instruments have been made in two parts, stamped and soldered, or brazed
at their edges, and there has generally remained, in the interior, cores or seams
of the solder, and in order to have a regular bore or hole, it has been necessary to
press into the interior a metal ball, and to smooth the inside and outside surfaces,
and render them uniform or regular by means of a hammer. This mode of
operation requires much time, and involves considerable expense for hand labor.
The third improvement consists in a method of manufacture by machinery,
which permits of bends or semi-circles of all sizes being made, with a regular bore
or passage. According to this method the curved piece or bend is held in dies and
forced into shape by a sphere of the proper diameter pressed into it by means of
spheres of smaller diameter.
The accompanying drawing shows the application of this method and the
machine with which it is carried into practice.
A straight tube of copper, Figures 2 and 3, is bent as shewn in Figures 4 and 5.
It is then placed between the dies m m¹ of the machine shown in elevation and in
section in Figures 8 and 9; the die m¹ is brought up to the die m by means of the
horizontal screw b. Above one of the branches of the bend or curved piece, when
in the dies as shown in Figure 9, is a screw a which can be made to descend by
means of a fly-wheel or a lever l. A borizontal lever e is pivotted upon the
framework B of the machine and is provided with an opening d of the diameter
of the larger sphere e.
When the curved piece or bend is in the dies the horizontal lever c is moved
so that its extremity rests upon the right hand branch (Figure 9) of the curved
piece or bend and the screw a is made to descend. This operation flattens or
smooths the edge of the left hand branch by expanding it, as shown in Figure 6.
The screw a is raised again and the horizontal lever c is moved so that it will rest
upon the left hand branch of the curved piece or bend bearing this time upon the
flattened or smoothed edge. The sphere e is inserted and the screw a caused to
descend. The said sphere forces out the metal at the left hand branch of the
curved piece or bend. The screw a is again raised and a smaller sphere f (Figure 7)
is inserted and the screw again depressed. This is continued until, as shown in
Figure 7 the sphere e comes out at the upper end of the other branch.
By this operation, the said sphere gives to the curved piece or bend a regular
bore or passage, by rolling the metal of the ends towards the centre in such a
manner that the thickness will not be reduced in this part. The exterior surface
is thereby properly joined and rendered regular, the metal having been pressed
against the dies.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The automatic adjustment, applicable to piston instruments and consisting
of a lengthening of the slide, which is effected only when the first and third
pistons are used together, substantially as set forth and for the purpose specified.
Second. In piston instruments, the suppression of the column of air, which is
annulled when the third piston is used, substantially as set forth.
Third. The method of mechanically manufacturing the curved pieces or bends
for musical instruments with a regular bore by means of a sphere of the required

page_text: diameter forced through the curved piece or bend by smaller spheres successively
pushed or pressed into the said curved piece or bend while it is held between dies
conforming to its desired external shape, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Sixth day of September in the year of Our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
117M DODT TATZ