Look what I made! (Part 5)
Wooooo! Got interrupted there for a couple months, didn't I?
So since I've last posted to this here journal, we packed up and moved back to the 'states, I started Russian language training (which, BTW, is an intensive 3 or so years of language classes packed into 9 months), S moved to her new assignment overseas, and... and other things that I'm forgetting right now because my head's so full of Russian and such.
Also? I survived Sandy just fine, thanks.
BUT - I promised certain people that I'd put up images of the harps I'm trying to complete (yeah, that too), so here they are.
The first is based on a 15th-century harp found in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. (Now there's some controversy about whether that harp is actually that old or a more recent recreation. But nonetheless, it's in the same style and design as the 14th-15th century harps and I have the technical drawings of it, so... yeah.) It's of the "clamshell" type design, which means I took a maple board, split it, hollowed out the insides, and glued it back together, then shaped it and drilled it and etc. Hopefully when it's done you'll have a hard time seeing the seam between the top and bottom, because the grain matches well (because they're the same log). The image below is after I'd planed down the sides - thus the curls. You can barely see the seam where the two boards were rejoined.
The neck and pillar I did in a similar fashion to my other harps - glued up in three layers so I could alter the grain in the middle, making it stronger. This is NOT historically accurate, mind you. But what I want out of this harp is one that looks and sounds reasonably in the ballpark of a historical harp (it'll be strung with gut) but that will hold up a bit better - I hope.
The strings will be tied and lowered into the holes, because there's no way to insert then and tie them off. There's no sound hole in the back. They will be pulled into small grooves at the top of each string hole, and held in place by buttons that are fitted (tapered) into each hole. Eventually I'll make bray pins, but for now I have buttons turned from fossilized walrus ivory. (see below? no holes in the back)
I also need to make or have made some brass staples that will sit across the top of each string hole, keeping the strings from eating into the wood. It's what the original has. But those things, final routing, final sanding, finishing and the peg holes is all that's left, really.
Next, here are two of my Mark IIIs in progress. One is pear and maple, the other is canarywood and maple. Nothing much to say about these that I haven't said in a previous post. I need to make the soundboards and backboards and glue the bodies up. Then it's a matter of fitting the necks and pillars to the bodies and final shtuff. Oh - I still need to drill the peg holes and ream them. But that's next.
Sorry these images are all so overwhelmingly... red. I need to adjust my white balance when I take pictures on this very red floor.
Hope you like 'em!
So since I've last posted to this here journal, we packed up and moved back to the 'states, I started Russian language training (which, BTW, is an intensive 3 or so years of language classes packed into 9 months), S moved to her new assignment overseas, and... and other things that I'm forgetting right now because my head's so full of Russian and such.
Also? I survived Sandy just fine, thanks.
BUT - I promised certain people that I'd put up images of the harps I'm trying to complete (yeah, that too), so here they are.
The first is based on a 15th-century harp found in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. (Now there's some controversy about whether that harp is actually that old or a more recent recreation. But nonetheless, it's in the same style and design as the 14th-15th century harps and I have the technical drawings of it, so... yeah.) It's of the "clamshell" type design, which means I took a maple board, split it, hollowed out the insides, and glued it back together, then shaped it and drilled it and etc. Hopefully when it's done you'll have a hard time seeing the seam between the top and bottom, because the grain matches well (because they're the same log). The image below is after I'd planed down the sides - thus the curls. You can barely see the seam where the two boards were rejoined.
The neck and pillar I did in a similar fashion to my other harps - glued up in three layers so I could alter the grain in the middle, making it stronger. This is NOT historically accurate, mind you. But what I want out of this harp is one that looks and sounds reasonably in the ballpark of a historical harp (it'll be strung with gut) but that will hold up a bit better - I hope.
The strings will be tied and lowered into the holes, because there's no way to insert then and tie them off. There's no sound hole in the back. They will be pulled into small grooves at the top of each string hole, and held in place by buttons that are fitted (tapered) into each hole. Eventually I'll make bray pins, but for now I have buttons turned from fossilized walrus ivory. (see below? no holes in the back)
I also need to make or have made some brass staples that will sit across the top of each string hole, keeping the strings from eating into the wood. It's what the original has. But those things, final routing, final sanding, finishing and the peg holes is all that's left, really.
Next, here are two of my Mark IIIs in progress. One is pear and maple, the other is canarywood and maple. Nothing much to say about these that I haven't said in a previous post. I need to make the soundboards and backboards and glue the bodies up. Then it's a matter of fitting the necks and pillars to the bodies and final shtuff. Oh - I still need to drill the peg holes and ream them. But that's next.
Sorry these images are all so overwhelmingly... red. I need to adjust my white balance when I take pictures on this very red floor.
Hope you like 'em!