Everything about Piano Wire totally explained
Piano wire is a specialized type of
wire made for use in
piano and other musical instrument strings, as well as many other purposes. It is made from tempered high-carbon
steel, also known as "
spring steel".
Music wire is another name for piano wire: it's used for the cores of strings, which may be wound with other materials. Music wire is used for a variety of stringed instruments that use steel strings, such as guitars.
Manufacture and use
General-purpose, high-carbon steel, drawn music wire (such as
ASTM A228) is manufactured in both
inch and
metric gauges in diameters as small as 0.006 inch up to 0.192 inch (0.15 to 4.8 mm). A small number of companies produce the tough, high tensile strength polished wire intended for limited music instrument markets, which is manufactured from steel of a specific composition by
cold drawing. Musical instrument strings are among the most demanding of all its applications. Placed under high tension, they're subject to repeated blows, are bent, stretched and slackened during tuning and are still expected to last for decades. The wire must also be extremely consistent in size: variations greater than 0.0003 inch (8 μm) will produce audible falseness in modern instruments.
Music wire evolved from handmade
ductile iron to continuously drawn
carbon steel by the end of the nineteenth century, and the international competition for higher strength benefitted from demands of consistency from other special wire products like
telegraph and
barbed wire. Innovative piano makers kept pace with advances in this important auxiliary industry by increasing the size and tensions in their string scales.
Music wire is sold by weight and packaged in tight coils. It springs back to a gentle curve but can be straightened using a series of opposed rollers. It requires careful handling for safety and appearance, since it can be marred by
perspiration, and it requires special cutters, as the hardened steel will otherwise quickly dull the cutter.
Other applications
Piano wire is also used in the fabrication of springs, fishing lures, special effects in the movie industry and for cutting soap. It is also commonly used in hobby applications such as
model railroading.
For the role of piano wire in the killings of the German officers who attempted the assassination of
Adolf Hitler in
1944, see
July 20 plot.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Piano Wire'.
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