Browsing Archive: November, 2011

Soundboard painting finished - a guided tour:

Posted by Peter Barnes on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, In : Soundboard painting

All hand-painted using pigments mixed with Gum Arabic, copying traditional Ruckers flowers, birds and arabesques.

Thank you very much Jenny! Have a lovely time in Berlin.

Soundboard painter at work 1

Posted by Peter Barnes on Tuesday, November 22, 2011, In : Soundboard painting

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.

What did 18th century harpsichord makers do without masking tape?

Posted by Peter Barnes on Sunday, November 20, 2011, In : New build

You can see loops of masking tape on the sound-bars and cut-off bar. I'm about the put the soundboard in, press it down on the tape and carefully lift it out so I can mark out and glue the bars in place on the soundboard.

It occurred to me to wonder how this was done 250 years ago. Then I realised that I'd put the base-board on too soon. Without a bottom, one can mark round the bars easily enough. Sequence - that's what it's all about.

Continue reading ...

Flemish Single, from kit parts to playing in 20 working days.

Posted by Peter Barnes on Sunday, November 20, 2011, In : New build

Day ten on this project and I've got the soundboard in. The case was all separate parts, the soundboard needed thinning, everything is fitted individually. Never stop until you have run out of clamps for gluing jobs!