Piano wire

Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings but also in other applications as springs. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel, which replaced iron as the material starting in 1834.

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Piano string ends
Piano strings

Piano wire has a very high tensile strength to cope with the heavy demands placed upon piano strings; accordingly, piano wire is also used for a number of other purposes, including springs, surgical uses, and in special effects.

History

The oldest record of wire being made for musical instruments is from Augsburg in 1351.[1]

Starting around 1800, the piano began to be built ever more ambitiously, with sturdier (eventually, iron) framing and greater string tension. This led to innovations in making tougher piano wire. In 1834, the Webster & Horsfal firm of Birmingham, United Kingdom brought out a form of piano wire made from cast steel; according to Dolge it was "so superior to the iron wire that the English firm soon had a monopoly." But a better steel wire was soon created in 1840 by the Viennese firm of Martin Miller,[1] and a period of innovation and intense competition ensued, with rival brands of piano wire being tested against one another at international competitions, leading ultimately to the modern form of piano wire.[2]

Manufacture and use

The tensile strength of one popular brand of piano wire is listed as 2620–2930 MPa (380–425 ksi).[3]

Piano Wire Sizes
SizeDiameter, inch
12 .029
12 1/2 .030
13 .031
13 1/2 .032
14 .033
14 1/2 .034
15 .035
15 1/2 .036
16 .037
16 1/2 .038
17 .039
17 1/2 .040
18 .041
18 1/2 .042
19 .043
19 1/2 .044
20 .045
21 .047
22 .049
23 .051

[4]

Other applications

Piano wire is also used in the fabrication of springs, fishing lures, special effects in the movie industry,[5] scaffold cross-bracing, orthodontic and pharyngeal surgery, and for the cutting of cheese and soap. It is also commonly used in hobby applications such as model railroading, both control line and radio-controlled aircraft, and knitting.[6] At least in urban legend, it is employed by assassins as a garrote.[7][8][9]

See also

Notes
  1. Dolge (1911, 124)
  2. Dolge (1911, 125-126)
  3. "Mapes Piano Wire". Fortepiano.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-26.
  4. Arthur Reblitz, Piano Servicing Tuning & Rebuilding, 1993
  5. Fielding, Raymond, Techniques of Special Effects of Cinematography, ISBN 978-0-240-51234-1, pp. 330,384
  6. "Using blocking wires to block a lace shawl". Knittingdaily.com. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  7. Newquist, H.P. and Maloof, Rich, This Will Kill You: A Guide to the Ways in Which We Go, New York: St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0-312-54062-3 (2009), pp. 133-6
  8. Whittaker, Wayne, Tough Guys, Popular Mechanics, February 1943, Vol. 79 No. 2, pp. 44
  9. Steele, David E., Silent Sentry Removal, Black Belt Magazine, August 1986, Vol. 24 No. 8, pp. 48-49

References
  • Dolge, Alfred (1911) Pianos and Their Makers: A Comprehensive History of the Development of the Piano from the Monochord to the Concert Grand Player Piano. Covina Publishing Company.
  • Louchet, Jean (2013) The Keyboard Stringing Guide — for the restoration of pianos, harpsichords and clavichords. Published by Lulu.com.
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