At 10:49 PM 6/10/2007 +0300, you wrote:
Hi Matt,
Do you know how old the Hurdy Gurdy is?
Could be that it was an early model and the old Trad way was used.
Just a thought!
Billy Horne
Hi Billy-
Thanks for the reply! I don't have any idea how old the instrument
is. There is a label inside with Mr. Reichmann's name and address, but no
date that I can see.
I'm not sure what you mean exactly by "the old Trad way". I have been in
contact with someone who has a hurdy-gurdy by the same maker; he said it
had a tail bearing, made of wood, about twice the diameter of the
shaft. The bearing was held in place by a small screw. However, the
instrument I'm working on now has no such bearing that I can see; the shaft
sticks out of the end of the instrument through a hole only slightly bigger
than the shaft itself. So I still don't know for sure what parts or
materials are in play here.
I wonder if there is some sort of soft material like leather wadded in
there as packing to keep the shaft steady? The wheel and washer against
the bracing inside would hold the shaft from sliding out during play, so
basic packing might be all that's necessary...
~ Matt
