US887921A - Brass wind instrument. - Google Patents

Description

No. 887,921. P-ATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

0. G. ooNN. BRASS WIND INSTRUMENT,

APPLICATION FILED APB-27,1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. CONN, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

BRASS WIND INSTRUMENT.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. CONN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brass Wind Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

While I shall describe my invention in connection with a cornet bell, it will of course be understood that I do not limit myself to cornets but on the contrary, my invention relates to all brass and wind instruments.

In the bells of brass wind instruments, it is desirable to use hard, vibratory, sonorous metal and a musician or musical instrument maker in examining a brass musical instrument to ascertain whether or not the instrument is made of hard, vibratory, sonorous metal, usually taps the bell of the instrument to see if it will ring.

Various methods have been adopted by musical instrument makers to meet this requirement and give performers the desired resonant bell, but, as far as I am aware, none of them have proven successful, because the smaller half of the bell, when considering its length, must be bent by the usual process known to instrument makers to fashion the instrument into a compact, convenient shape for use. The bending of the bell cannot be accomplished satisfactorily if the metal is hard, because it will break or crack during the process of bending, which destroys its usefulness; nor can the bell as a whole be worked into a smooth round shape, free from lumps and surface irregularities, essential to the production of tonal qualities necessary to a good instrument.

The object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties heretofore experienced and produce a bell for musical wind instruments giving the required vibratory resonance.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bell of a comet or other brass wind in strument. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

In order to produce a bell giving the required resonance, I have overcome the obj ec- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1907.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Serial No. 370,576.

tion found in the old method of manufacturing bells for brass wind musical instruments by constructing the bell in two parts; the part 1 being of softer metal to permit its being fashioned into proper shape without impairment, the other part or larger end 2 of the bell, the one that gives forth the sonorous tone, of a hard vibratory metal. These two parts, 1 and 2 of the bell, are then brazed solidly together making a complete bell that possesses all of the requirements heretofore demanded by both performers and instrument makers.

By my invention, I combine the hard and soft qualities of metal; the soft quality of metal being used, as stated, in the part 1 of the bell which is better adapted for the bending process. The larger flaring end of the bell being made of the hard resonant quality of metal will give forth a vibratory resonant sound when the instrument is in use.

An instrument constructed in accordance with my invention is easier to play, gives forth a better quality of tone and is more satisfactory in every respect.

The hard and the soft metals at the point of brazing are joined in such manner that they are practically homogeneous at such point, whereby said joint does not in any manner affect the quality of the tone of the instrument made in accordance with my invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bell of hard vibratory metal for brass wind instruments.

2. A bell for brass wind instruments comprising a hard vibratory metal at its larger end and a softer metal at its smaller end.

3. A bell for brass wind instruments comprising the larger end of hard vibratory metal and the smaller end of softer metal brazed solidly together at their juncture.

CHARLES G. CONN.

In presence of W. J. GROVERT, GERTRUDE S'rnEeo.

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