It doe's make sense thanks, but I'd still like to see the diagram's if you have
them on hand..
Arle Lommel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Seth,
You are right to be skeptical about holding a chisel in your hand: that is a
recipe for trouble. What you need is a flat cabinet scraper that can take just
a hair off the wheel at a time (some people use a piece of glass that has a
sharp edge, but the cabinet scraper is probably easier to use and safer). You
then need a guard to sit on the soundboard (so you don't scrape the soundboard
to pieces). This can be a simple piece of thin, hard cardboard (not
corrugated!) shaped like a U that sits on the soundboard wrapped around the
wheel. Viewed from the crank end, it will sit on the right side of the wheel.
You then anchor the instrument firmly in place (while you can do this in your
lap, you are probably better off on your work bench). The scraper sits on the
guard on top of the soundboard and you then turn the wheel towards you (the
normal playing direction, but you are on the opposite side from where you would
normally be) so that it is moving down toward where you will
place the scraper. Gently bring the scraper to the wheel, allowing it to lie
flat on the guard you placed on the soundboard (scrapers cut perpendicular to
the body of the scraper) until it is just taking off the very top of the
highest portion on the wheel (you'll know when you're doing it right because
you'll hear a ththth.....ththth.....ththth.....ththth sort of sound). Take it
slow and easy: you don't want the scraper to move with the wheel, but rather to
only take off material from the high points. As you take more material off
you'll find that the scraper is taking off material from more and more of the
wheel. You will have a true wheel when you find that the scraper is taking
material off from the entire circumference of the wheel.
If this doesn't make sense, let me know and I will send you some diagrams
directly to your e-mail.
Best,
Arle
On Jan 2, 2007, at 4:12 PM, Seth Hamon wrote:
I'm currently building a symphony gurdy while I wait on my Orca I
order from hurdygurdy.com . I have Destrem and Heidemans book which says to
hold a sharp chisel in your left hand while turning the wheel, but it's very
hard to do this without the chisel moving. The wheel is only a hair off but I
don't want to mess it up when I true it up... Does anyone have info on how
this is done or another way to true the wheel. It's off so very little that
you cannot see it with your eye but when the wheel passes over the string you
can feel a very slight loosening of the tension... Thanks, Seth I'll put
some pics in photobucket to show what I'm making, lots of fun...
