IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE ACTIONS
Year: 1885

page_text: ADAM CRAIG Pianoforte Maker 4 Great Victoria Street Belfast Ireland do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTE
ACTIONS to be as follows:-
This action is made without any hopper and has no spring throughout the key
is regulated by a screw at the back end of the key and working up against the
cloth on the under side of the under lever rail-whereby the touch can be
regulated-thus avoiding the trouble or application of additional or removal of
papers or cloths as is usual in ordinary actions-the damper is entirely on a new
principal whereby great power and simplicity is obtained and is made with an arm
passing between each hammer shank-avoiding the damper wire passing between
the head's of the hammers and doing away with the use of a damper socket-this
damper is hinged or hung from a rail in front of the action at an angle the other
end being the clothed damper head on the string--the damper wire is inserted into
a clothed hole in the body of the damper-the other end being secured into sticker
or jack-an insertion of cloth is made in the hammer head.

page_text: ADAM CRAIG Pianoforte Maker 4 Great Victoria Street Belfast Co. Antrim,
Ireland do hereby declare the nature of my invention for PIANOFORTE ACTIONS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This action is made without any hopper & has no spring throughout the key
is regulated by a screw at the back end of the key & working up against the cloth
on the under side of the under lever rail whereby the touch can be regulated
thus avoiding the trouble or application of additional or removal of papers or
cloths as is usual in ordinary actions The damper is entirely on a new principal
whereby great power & simplicity is obtained & is made with an arm passing
between each pair of hammer shank's-avoiding the damper wire passing between
the heads of the hammers & doing away with the use of a damper socket This
damper is hinged or hung from a rail in front of the action at an angle the other
end being the clothed damper head on the string The damper wire is inserted into
a clothed hole in the body of damper the other end being secured into sticker or
jack.
An insertion of cloth is made in the hammer head.
The working particulars of said invention are as follows & see Drawing The
sticker Fig. 1 is brought into direct contact with the key Fig. 2 the lower end of
Fig. 1 resting on the cloth Fig. 3 covering the regulating screw for regulating the
uniformity or evenness of the hammers Fig. 4 as resting on the ruler rail Fig. 5-
the keys do not require any regulating cloth under the front as the regulating
screws Fig. 6 for giving the depth of touch as placed at the back ends of keys
effects this purpose
When those regulating screws are used with other actions
it will be more convenient to place the rail in front of the sticker & putting the
screws on the rail & carrying a button The screws used are flat headed with the
edges of the heads slightly rounded-this kind of screw is only required when
placed in the keys When the regulating screws for the touch Fig. 6 is placed in
the rail then of course the points are down with a button on the points & coming
into contact with the keys The hammer head when regulated should rise to within
a quarter of an inch from the string a slight touch being only required to make
it strike without at any time being liable to block The insertion of cloth Fig. 7 in
the hammer head can be made by a saw cut or the head can be made in two & the
cloth fastened between-the damper butt Fig. 8 is hinged on a rail Fig. 9 at the
front under the hammer ruler Fig. 5 The wire arm is screwed into the end of
the butt Fig. 8 & the other end carrying the damper Fig. 10 On the under side of
the butt Fig. 8 is a clothed hole for the damper wire The damper wire (see section)
is in two parts The upper part is smooth & is fixed into the top of regulating
button Fig. 11 The lower section of damper wire is secured at the lower end into
the sticker Fig. 1 & its upper end is screwed into the regulating button Fig. 11
on its under side.

page_text: Having now described particularly & ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The under damper as hung from the front & having an arm passing between
each pair of hammer shanks.
2nd The damper wire as arranged in two parts.
3rd The method of regulating the depth of touch of each key by a screw at the
back end of each key-or its reversal as described.
4th The inserting of a peice of cloth into the hammer head.
5th The mode of applying the sticker without a hopper-this being only
possible by the use of the invention of the regulating screw Fig. 6.
6th The rounded edged screw head.