IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1885

page_text: I FREDERICK STEVENS of 42 Bickerton Road Junction Road Upper Holloway
in the County of Middlesex Pianoforte Action Maker do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS to be as
follows:-
The principal object I have in view in my improved pianoforte actions is a
better set off to relieve the stickers or jacks from the butts of the hammers as soon
as the hammers have effected their blows on the strings, or in other words placing
the hammers more efficiently in check and I gain other advantages.
I further attain greatly increased facility of repetition as well as greater
smartness and freedom of blow to the hammer arising from my improved con-
struction of the parts.
I construct the stickers or jacks according to my improved arrangements with
a piece or arm hinged, centred or jointed to it which piece is formed with or carries
an adjustable screwed or such like regulating pin or rod carrying the set off button
or part that in the rising of the sticker comes against a fixed part of the rail, or
the adjustable button may abut against the tail of the butt or such adjustment
may be attained by a reversal of the situation of these parts i.e. the articulated or
centred piece will itself come against the rail and the regulation be attained by
an adjustable pin or such like part carrying the surface struck on the rail. The
part of the rail against which this set off or regulating button strikes is formed of
such overhanging or recessed form as to partially hold or control the button and
pin and aid the relief of sticker and butt. Or the corresponding form may be
given to the adjustable part of the rail.
I form the upper ends or tops of the stickers with projecting straight inclined or
curved pins to pass between and be guided by forks or grooves in the lower ends
of the butts of the hammers or the relative positions of the pins or equivalent parts
of the stickers and grooves of the butts may be reversed.
The upright or wire to the damper may be carried in a suitable socket or
connection from the outer end or other point on the hinged or centred arm or part

page_text: of the sticker before mentioned with greatly increased effect in the action of
removing the damper.
The loops (generally of silk) which are engaged by springs to keep the hammer
butts and stickers in correct relation to each other I fix so that their normal
tendency is to be open ready and accessible to the spring hooks.
This I attain by forcing in a wedge piece between the ends of each of the loops
where they enter the wood of the butt or by boring holes for them splayed or at
angles adapted to give the sides of these loops a divergent tendency with great
convenience in practice to the finisher or others in adjusting the parts in the
manufacture or repair of the instruments.

page_text: I FREDERICK STEVENS of 42 Bickerton Road Junction Road Upper Holloway
in the County of Middlesex Pianoforte Action Maker 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:-
The principal object I have in view in my improved pianoforte actions is a
better set off to relieve the stickers or jacks from the butts of the hammers as soon
as the hammers have effected their blows on the strings, or in other words placing
the hammers more efficiently in check and I gain other advantages.
I further attain greatly increased facility of repetition as well as greater
smartness and freedom of blow to the hammer arising from my improved con-
struction of the parts.
I construct the stickers or jacks according to my improved arrangements with a
piece or arm hinged, centred or jointed to it which piece is formed with or carries
an adjustable screwed or such like regulating pin or rod carrying the set off button
or part that in the rising of the sticker comes against a fixed part of the rail, or
the adjustable button may abut against the tail of the butt or such adjustment
may be attained by a reversal of the situation of these parts i.e. the articulated or
centred piece will itself come against the rail and the regulation be attained by
an adjustable pin or such like part carrying the surface struck on the rail. The
part of the rail against which this set off or regulating button strikes is formed of
such overhanging or recessed form as to partially hold or control the button and
pin and aid the relief of sticker and butt. Or the corresponding form may be
given to the adjustable part of the rail.
I form the upper ends or tops of the stickers with projecting straight inclined or
curved pins to pass between and be guided by forks or grooves in the lower ends
of the butts of the hammers or the relative positions of the pins or equivalent parts
of the stickers and grooves of the butts may be reversed.
The upright or wire to the damper may be carried in a suitable socket or
connection from the outer end or other point on the hinged or centred arm or part
of the sticker before mentioned with greatly increased effect in the action of
removing the damper.
The loops (generally of silk) which are engaged by springs to keep the hammer
butts and stickers in correct relation to each other I fix so that their normal
tendency is to be open ready and accessible to the spring hooks.
This I attain by forcing in a wedge piece between the ends of each of the loops
where they enter the wood of the butt or by boring holes for them splayed or at
angles adapted to give the sides of these loops a divergent tendency with great
convenience in practice to the finisher or others in adjusting the parts in the
manufacture or repair of the instruments.

page_text: Figs. 3, 4 and 5 shew alternative modes of securing the loops ; in the hammer
butt recesses k. a is the key a¹ the key lever centred at a on the pin there
provided as usual,
b is the sticker or jack operating the butt of the hammer d. e indicates the
line of the strings 6¹ is an arm or centreing piece jointed at 6' to the jack b and
at bs to the rail f.
c is an adjustable arm hinged at c¹ to the sticker b and carrying the adjustable
screwed pin c³ which again carries the set off button which in the rising of the
sticker b comes against the part g¹ of the hammer rail g which part is as shewn
formed of recessed or overhanging form so as to some extent hold and control the
button and thereby the pin c and the connected parts. c is a screw adjusting
pin for adjusting the striking position of the button c³.
At the upper end of the sticker b is a projecting pin 6 which passes between
the horns or fork of, or groove in, the projecting end of the hammer butt d² to
facilitate the preservation of correctness of relation of the parts relatively.
65 is a spring mounted on the sticker and engaging the loop d' of the hammer
butt din order to keep the hammer butts and stickers correctly relatively in
position.
his the upright or damper wire to the damper h and this wire is connected to
the weighted lever h³ centred at h³ so as to be operated to and from the wires e
and this upright h¹ being carried as shewn in the socket h on the outer end of the
hinged arm c from the sticker b and thereby greatly increased effect is attained in
the removal of the damper h from the strings immediately the key a is struck.
d' is a projecting arm from the hammer butt of peculiar form adapted to be
engaged with the part 68 (of corresponding form) of the projecting arm be carried
by the part b7 of the sticker or jack 6 and-serving when so engaged to hold the
hammer in perfect check.
The loops d³ I so affix in the hammer butt that their normal tendency shall
be open ready to receive the springs 6 and so avoid the inconveniences attendant
on the ordinary mode whereby the loops are generally closed together and more
difficult to adjust.
The ends or legs of the U or loop & may for this purpose be passed into
grooves k recessed into each side surface of the hammer butt d' leaving the loop
open as in Fig. 1 or parallel holes may be formed as in Fig. 3 or one hole with a
separating plug as in Fig. 4, or a single hole and a wedge between as in Fig. 5 or
this may be effected in equivalent ways.
+
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The construction and use of pianoforte actions arranged and operating as set
forth.
2. The peculiar construction and operation of the parts of the hammer and
sticker or jack cooperating as set forth.
8. The hinged arm and parts for effecting the set off (with or without the
means for controlling the damper according to the circumstances of the case) as set
forth.
Dated this 8th day of July 1886