Browsing Archive: December, 2011

Harpsichord Dampers in the Winter.

Posted by Peter Barnes on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, In : Harpsichord Dampers

Heating cold winter air can cause very low humidity levels (30 - 40% rather than the usual 50-65% we see in the summer). Timber shrinks across the grain when the humidity is low and this often caused dampers to be less effective in the winter.

Let me explain: When we heat cold winter air it becomes very dry and dries timber. Since harpsichords and spinets tend to be made with the wood grain running round the case, the case height will often shrink by as much as 1-2mm. This reduces the distance...
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Finished in time!

Posted by Peter Barnes on Friday, December 16, 2011, In : New build

The Zuckermann Flemish is finished except for case painting. It's been to three hirings this month and is looking for a nice home - and a bit of a rest!

Zuckermann flemish 1975/2011

Posted by Peter Barnes on Saturday, December 3, 2011, In : New build

Stringing is finished and voicing started. 7 days until the first performance with Cirencester Choral Society.
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Replacing strings method 2

Posted by Peter Barnes on Thursday, December 1, 2011, In : String replacement

Having found that many people have difficulty with replacing strings on tuning pins with no holes, here is an system that may help, especially with the thicker strings:
Make a device for winding a coil at the end of your wire onto which you can screw the tuning pin. The pin you use for winding should be about 1-2mm narrower than the tuning pin diameter. This is used as shown in the photo, choosing the thinner axle for the 4ft pins and the thicker on for the 8ft. Put the end of the wire through...
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Replacing strings on pins without hole. 1

Posted by Peter Barnes on Thursday, December 1, 2011, In : String replacement

Many people have problems with this, so this is what Zuckermann Harpsichords had to say about it in 1976: There is a larger image of this scan on my 'Harpsichord repairs page.