Historical Music Wire

Research

Piano Design
Organology
Design
Materials
Music Wire
Leather
Physical Systems
Animal Growth Modelling
Environmental Systems

Teaching

Linear Algebra
Numerical Methods
Computational Mathematics
Musical Instruments

Music

Erard
Pleyel
Lipp
Marcia Hadjimarkos

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Reproduction of physically accurate historical music wire - soft iron, brass, and steel - with the correct mechanical properties is a complicated and difficult undertaking. The best hope for success lies in the application of modern metallurgical analysis and production techniques to duplicate the raw material, which is no longer readily available, and cannot be easily made, and the use of this in historical wire drawing methods. Current research is focusing on applying these principles to soft iron wire.

The relationships between wire material and drawing parameters are being investigated, as well as how these influence the mechanical properties of the final product. The focus of this is on the how the material influences tone quality. Tensile strength and yield point critically effect this in applications. The final result of the project will be an effective and economically viable technique for producing high quality reproduction historical iron wire appropriate for any stringed keyboard instrument before about 1830, by which time steel wire began to be more commonly used on pianos.

Historical bench drawing of fine wire (0.2 to 1 mm diameter)

An article describing historical wire technology and details about the current iron wire project is available: SH Birkett & P Poletti (2004). Reproduction of authentic historical soft iron wire for musical instruments. Actes Rencontres Harmoniques Lausanne, April 2002 (in press).

DIDEROT (1758-1781) PLATES FROM 'FORGES'

Smelting operations

Casting pigs

Straining to rods

Rod production in a slitting mill

Bundling rods for fine wire drawers

Bench drawing of fine wire

Research Piano Design Organology Design Materials Music Wire Leather Physical Systems Animal Growth Modelling Environmental Systems Teaching Linear Algebra Numerical Methods Computational Mathematics Musical Instruments Music Erard Pleyel Lipp Marcia Hadjimarkos \|homepage\|	Reproduction of physically accurate historical music wire - soft iron, brass, and steel - with the correct mechanical properties is a complicated and difficult undertaking. The best hope for success lies in the application of modern metallurgical analysis and production techniques to duplicate the raw material, which is no longer readily available, and cannot be easily made, and the use of this in historical wire drawing methods. Current research is focusing on applying these principles to soft iron wire.
		The relationships between wire material and drawing parameters are being investigated, as well as how these influence the mechanical properties of the final product. The focus of this is on the how the material influences tone quality. Tensile strength and yield point critically effect this in applications. The final result of the project will be an effective and economically viable technique for producing high quality reproduction historical iron wire appropriate for any stringed keyboard instrument before about 1830, by which time steel wire began to be more commonly used on pianos.
	Historical bench drawing of fine wire (0.2 to 1 mm diameter)
	An article describing historical wire technology and details about the current iron wire project is available: SH Birkett & P Poletti (2004). Reproduction of authentic historical soft iron wire for musical instruments. Actes Rencontres Harmoniques Lausanne, April 2002 (in press).
	DIDEROT (1758-1781) PLATES FROM 'FORGES'

	Smelting operations

	Casting pigs

	Straining to rods

	Rod production in a slitting mill

	Bundling rods for fine wire drawers

	Bench drawing of fine wire
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