Wire is a problem on modern versions of old instruments. There is nothing that exists now that is even close to the old wire...I mean pre-1850. Malcolm Rose makes and sells iron and brass wire for historical harpsichords and fortepianos, and this is about the best you can get at the moment, but this is not the same as the old wire. The old iron stuff is much less metallic sounding and mellow. It is also much more flexible than the Rose wire, and incredibly more flexible than modern steel (Youngs modulus 168 GPa vs 190 GPa for Rose B, vs 220 GPa modern steel). The flexibility is, in part, due to a zero (sic) C content, but it's high on P, making it pretty strong (tensile strength c1000+ MPa vs c2000MPa modern steel). The thin gauges used on harpsichords provide additional stength as the thinner wire is stronger. This is one of the reasons the scale had to shorten on pianos around the early 1800-1820s when they used thicker wire. Anyway the old harpsichord that is the subject of discussion is probably an early kit scaled to use modern wire (or phosphor bronze). Zuckerman or Hubbard wire is no doubt the right stuff to use. It will sound bad no matter what you do. If it is voiced correctly you cannot interchange jacks, since plectrum strength will vary. I don't believe nine (now 5) days is realistic. Jim wrote: > Does it have oblong tuning pins or square? The purists use the oblong > with no hole for the becket ( dumb idea, but cheap ). The sloppy coils > do two things: increase the bearing on the Agraffe bar, and help avoid > It will certainly have zither (square head) pins if it is an old kit hpd. The oblong becketless pins on old instruments are not a dumb idea. It seems like it because you are in the context of modern wire...old wire is so flexible it is a cinch to wind tighly without a beckett. Even Rose A wire is too stiff to get it tight and it kills your finger. Modern wire...go figure. Oblong pins are easy to make. Stephen Birkett Fortepianos Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos 464 Winchester Drive Waterloo, Ontario, Canada tel: 519-885-2228
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