Hi, all,

I got some pegs like this one (link below) that looks like the pegs my
little old Bassot came with and I love them. We used a little violin
planetary, since we'd already bought it before seeing these, Craig
shortened as the tirant peg. He's going to use the rest of the pegs we
bought on some other instrument he's built. I've seriously had enough
of friction pegs in my life (harp, dulcimer, autoharp, daughter's
violin...) and these work beautifully and look really good.

#945C
http://www.lessonsinlutherie.com/Part_numbering_12_pegs_pg_2.htm

Have I told you what I use to scrape my wheel? I have an Allway mini
glass scraper (like this one:
http://www.castlewholesalers.com/ALLWAY-GSM-Mini-Glass-Scraper-w-1-Blade.html
. I believe Craig got it at a home show). I drag the single-edged
razor blade across a steel and I get a nice little curled edge, very
delicate. When it gets worn, I toss the blade and put in a fresh one.
This is particularly useful to me, as I do not have the hang of proper
rosining (being a beginner with a shiny, fresh disk of rosin) and I
have to shave off the high points, even after running the wheel
against a cloth. It is also quite lightweight and I can hold it
against a cottoned chanterelle to get the proper angle. Don't worry, I
am very, very slow, careful and conservative, mainly because the whole
process scares me. I tried sharpening a plane blade (spent hours with
the whet stone) and dragging it across a steel, and tried using broken
glass. I'm just not good enough and those were too gross taking too
much wood and sometimes leaving little shallow grooves as I was truing
my new wheel. The single-edged razor blade is just right. Craig and I
had the same idea at the same time and he found me this tiny plastic
scraper instead of the larger, heavier metal one I was using.

I am looking forward to Over the Water in the fall to better learn how
to deal with and enjoy my little old ruin. I've fended off two
familial assaults on that time so far. Now that I get more than
screeches and rattles (learned to fill, drill and tap keys I'd
stripped using the metal rod/bolt type of tangent... so many things to
learn), I'm beginning to get the hang of the keyboard and having fun
playing French and Breton dance tunes I've heard others playing in
session, but not really getting the coups de poignee. I can make the
dog buzz pretty much in time, but I can't say I have any precision and
there is more impact on the other drones than I care for. Also, not
entirely regulated, yet. I think my eardrums may be callousing over
;^).

I also was using too much cotton on my chanterelles. Now, I'm doing
better and I have my cigarette papers in place. Craig doesn't like
that, considers it a lutherie failure. He wants to fill the bridge
grooves and shave them down again, but I think there will always be
times in an HG's life it needs cigarette papers. There is a difference
between having my Bassot in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and
driving it the short distance to the coast. I have to give it a day to
adjust to the humidity and temperature change or it sounds horrid.

Thanks to Mel and Ann at Hurdy Gurdy Crafters for fixing my crank
problem. I had a squeak and they sent me more grease, but that leached
out and caused the nut to fall off. They sent me a little leather
washer for the handle side of the crank, I cleaned the grooves of the
bolt with alcohol, the handle hasn't squeaked and the nut hasn't
fallen off since.

Still dealing with my upper register. The tangents/keys hang up on one
another. I don't know quite what to do with that.

My HG case is turning into quite a little hardware store.

Well, I'm hearing thunder. I'd better sign off. Hope Craig is well
rehearsing under the bridge in Portland.
http://www.portlandactors.com/2009aLear.htm

All the Best,
Barbara

On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 2:11 PM, Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Anybody using these tuners - look like traditional ebony tuners, but
> are mechanical  with 4:1 ratio:
>
> http://www.hurdy-gurdy.org.uk/pegheds.html
>
>
> >
>

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