February 1, 2012
I've just bought an Italian harpsichord which has been superbly made from a Zuckermann kit in about 1976. I made my first harpsichord from the same type of kit in 1973 and have a soft spot for these little instruments. The kits were made by Wallis Zuckermann when he retired to Devon and needed something to do.
It is said that one summer in a garden shed will finish off any harpsichord. It is particularly true of these instruments because they were made from ply wood in order to keep down costs. The kit cost £150 in 1975. Half the grain of a piece of plywood is almost always in the wrong direction to give structural strength so a damp environment combined with the tension of the strings can cause the bottom to curve like a soap dish, the soundboard to touch the strings and the wrestplank to twist. It is great to find one of these instruments where there is no warping what so ever! A second, careful owner is required to keep up the good work!
Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Second-hand
January 30, 2012
Jenny has just finished this Ruckers copy:
What you see in the background is her workshop, complete with the silk painting steamer on the left. This one is for the Storr's harpsichord which is reserved for a customer. Lucky them!
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Soundboard painting
January 6, 2012
I'm starting the New Year with two cases to paint, a huge Feldberg with a 16-foot to renovate, a Flemish Single to make from a Storrs kit (Jenny has started to paint the soundboard) and, once I'm finished with that, the Clayson and Garret double to service. It's a great time to hide in a nice warm workshop!
Don't forget to check your humidity if it gets very cold again. Below 45% and you may well be making more work for some harpsichord maker.... Continue reading...
Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : working on...
December 27, 2011
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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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Harpsichord Dampers
December 16, 2011
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!
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : New build
December 3, 2011
Stringing is finished and voicing started. 7 days until the first performance with Cirencester Choral Society.
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : New build
December 1, 2011
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... Continue reading...
Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : String replacement
December 1, 2011
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.
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : String replacement
November 29, 2011
Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Soundboard painting
November 22, 2011
The soundboard has a light coat of shellac. It's fun deciding where to put the bugs and the birds. Jenny is tracing the flowers lightly onto the soundboard.
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Posted by Peter Barnes. Posted In : Soundboard painting
Thank you very much Jenny! Have a lovely time in Berlin.