US1771109A - Saxophone mouthpiece and process of making the same - Google Patents

Description

July 22, 1930'.

P. ARTHUR 1,771,109 SAXOPHONE uou'rnrmcs AND rnocnss or IIAKING 'ms sun Filed Dec. 10, 1923 Patented July 22, 1930 umrso s'rAras PAUL ARTHUR, OF ELKHOBK, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB 'IO FRANK BOLTON E 00., 01"

PATENT OFFICE moan, Wisconsin, 11 conronanon or ILLINOIS saxornoms nou'rnrnicn AND rnocnss or MAKING THE sum a pucaum Med December 10, 1923; Serial 1T0. 879,553.

May invention relates to mouthpieces for win instruments, such as saxephones, and the like.

One of the objects of this improvement is I the provision of a. simple and. efllcient mouthpiece for wind instruments and the like, which'can be made easily an at low cost.

A further object is the provision of a mouthpiece of the character mentioned having a metal lining which can be accurately formed of standardized parts.

A further object is the provision of a mouthpiece of the character mentioned having a s eet metal lining around the wind pas-v page therethrough and a covering around said inmg.

I A still further object is the method of forming a mouth iece for wind instruments, such as mentione having a sheet metal lining and a coverin such as is nown commercially on the market as bakelite or vulcanized cover' Other objects willappear hereina An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, formingca part of'this specification, and in which- I ig. 1 is a side view of a mouthpiece for saxophones, and the like, embodying my invention; a

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mout iece with the reed and 1i ature removed; an

F'i 4 is a si e view of one-half of the sheet metal lining of my improved mouttgviece.

Referring more partieulfi to drawing, I have indicated a m piece such as is used on saxophones, butit will be under stood that my invention is applicable to mouthpieces for various other wind instruments. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have indicated an ordinary ligature 5 holding a conventional reed 6 on the mouthpiece b means of bmding screws 7 which. are also 0 conventional construction. p

My present improvement consists in form ing the mouthpiece pro r with a metal 11ning of sheet metal an than enclosin this lining in a covering of suitable materia such as phenolic condensate product or some vulcanized compound.

of phenolic condensate product,

In theconstruction of mouthpieces for wind instruments the passagethrough such mouthpiece must be given a particular shape, such as indicated in the drawing. In the construction of mouthpieces as previously done this wind passage must be cut out by hand by experienced workmen and requires considerable time and, therefore, the mouthpiece must be necessarily expensive to manuacture. With m improvement the wind passages of mout pieces can be all made exactly alike of sheet metal made in properly formed dies. This provides a construction in which the mouthpieces can be made more accurately than in previous constructions and also at a small fraction of the cost of such previous constructions. I

I provide a lining of sheet material-and this may be of silver, nickel silver, or any other suitable material which may be cast, but which is preferably sheet metal. When formed of sheet material it is cut out and struck up with forming or drawing dies in a manner suitable to produce the forms shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The lining is preferably formed in two arts with their adjacent edges in a vertical p ane through the center of the mouthpiece as positioned when in use; the inner edges fitting accurately to form a continuous smooth interior surface free from irregularities. With this construction the lining is therefore in two halves, a right-hand half 8 and a left-hand half 9, (see Fig. 3). Olcour the lining may be made up of parts having diflerent shapes, but I find the two halves as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 very economical. in construction and efiicient in use.

The halves 8 and 9 after being formed as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 have their edges 10 brought together and refer-ably secured to each other either by so der, brazing, or some such means. These parts may be placed toether and held by the covering if so desired,

at I prefer to rigidly secure these edges together preliminarily by solder, brazing, or the like.

In assembling the device the adjacent edges 10 are secured together as just mentioned and then a covering of phenolic condensate prodnot or suitable material is vulcanized or otherwise attached or moulded to the outer side of the hollow metal lining 89. lVhen phenolic compound or a vulcanized material is used to cover the lining, the latter is vulcanized in place on the lining mounted in a proper die or mold, not shown. With this construction the two lining parts are rigidly secured together and the covering 11 rigidly secured to the outside of said lining. This is a construction having the advantages of the metal lining and the advantages of the phenolic compound or vulcanized mouthpiece. It will be understood that the lining 8-9 may be formed in any desired thickness of material to accomplishthe desired results.

Before securing the lining halves 8 and 9 together the abutting edges may be trimmed in any suitable manner to insure an accurate fit. This can be done by hand, if desired, but a more economical method is to use flash removing dies for forming the parts such as are now commonly used for forming spoons and other articles of a similar nature. These dies have a shearing blade or blades slidably mounted on the female member, the blades being provided with a cam or other actuating device to force them across the edges of the open side of the die while the male member is in position therein, thus shearing away projecting portions of the sheet metal in the die and leaving the edge true. The male member is provided with a shoulder flush with the open face of the female member against which the shearing action takes place. It is important that the two halves be made to fit together in a manner to provide a smooth wind passage of proper shape. It is advantageous also to have the metal lining extend outwardly away from the wind passage, as indicated at 12, to protect the edges of the covering 11 and to facilitate placing the mouthpiece on the wind instrument. This prevents the covering from being chipped easily. It will be apparent also that the lining 8-9 extends up close to the reed 6, as indicated at 13, so as to provide a smooth surface for the reed and to provide a smooth opening for the wind passage 14.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus fully disclosed an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A mouthpiece for wind instruments comprising a plurality of stamped sheet metal parts adapted to fit together to form a lining, and an integral covering enclosing said sheet metal parts.

2. A. mouthpiece for wind instruments comprising a sheet metal lining composed of a plurality of stamped parts fitted together to form a continuous smooth interior surface, and an integral covering for such lining to hold the latter permanently in place.

3. A saxophone mouthpiece comprising a lining made up of pieces of sheet metal with a wind passage between the parts of the sheet metal, openings at the ends of said wind passage, and a molded covering around said lining, portions of said lining at the openings of said wind passage being disposed around on the edges of said covering adapted to protect the latter against being chipped in use.

4. The method of forming saxophone mouth-pieces, which consists in cutting out and striking up two pieces of sheet metal forming right and left halves of a lining, then soldering adjacent edges of said pieces together, and finally casting a covering around on said lining in close proximity to the latter.

5. A mouthpiece for musical wind instruments comprising a tubular lining of ductile metal having an enlarged portion between the ends thereof, and a covering formed of an indurating phenolic condensate molded about said lining. I

6. A-mouthpiece for musical wind instruments comprising a tubular lining having curved sides forming an enlarged tone chamber, and a covering of phenolic condensate molded on the outer surface of said lining.

7. The process of forming a mouthpiece for musical wind instruments wherein a thin metal lining for said mouthpiece is pressed into shape to provide an inner tone chamber having smoothly curved walls, the lining thus formed being covered by molding on the outer surface thereof a covering of indurating phenolic condensate.

8. The process of manufacturing a mouthj piece for musical wind instruments wherein a metal lining is shaped by forcing the walls thereof into a proper shaped mold to provide an internal tone chamber, the lining thus formed being thereafter covered by a phenolic condensate permanently molded on the outer surface thereof.

9. A mouthpiece for wind musical instruments comprising a preformed sheet metal lining substantially defining the shape of the completed mouthpiece, and a covering of indurating material permanently molded on said lining and reinforced throughout thereby.

10. A mouthpiece for wind musical instruments comprising a molded hollow shell of indurating material reinforced throughout the hollow of the interior thereof by a sheet metal lining.

11. The method of producing mouthpieces for wind musical instruments which consists in molding a permanent covering of indurating material upon a sheet metal lining which has been preformed to substantially define the desired shape of the completed mouthpiece.

12. The method of producing mouthpieces for wind musical instruments which consists in molding a permanent covering of indurating material upon a lining wh1ch has been preformed from a plurality of sheet metal parts to substantially define the desired shape of the completed mouthpiece.

13. The method of producing mouthpieces for wind musical instruments which consists in molding a permanent coverin of indurating materlal upon a sheet metal lining which has been prevlously stamped to substantial- 1y define the shape of the completed mouthiece.

p 14. The method of producing mouthpieces for wind musical instruments which consists in molding a permanent covering of induratin material upon a lining which has been pre ormed from a pluralit of sheet metal parts stamped to substantia ly define the desired shape of the completed mouthpiece.

In testlmony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 7th day of December, A. D. 1923. 1

PAUL ARTHUR.

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