Harpsichord Wire

[Avery Todd]

List,
   Below is a forwarded message posted privately because he wasn't sure if
it should be sent to the list. It's in response to my question about the hitch
pin loops coming unwound. I believe there would be enough interest to
go ahead and put it here.
   If you don't have to deal with harpsichords, delete now.

>Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 14:41:22 +0000
>From: "Dr. C.D. Lindblom" <LINDBLOM@saturn.montclair.edu>
>Subject: Harpsichord Wire
>To: atodd@UH.EDU
>
>Mr. Todd,
>        Even though there have been several responses on
>PIANOTECH to your question about harpsichord hitchipin loops
>which  slip, no one has mentioned the crux of the problem as it
>appears to most harpsichord makers:  when a hitchpin loop is wound,
>the wire MUST form a double helix;  if the loose end is simply wound
>around the string coming from the tuning pin, the loop will never
>be stable in the long run.  Most makers finish off their loops with
>two or three such windings, but the part of the loop which holds
>the tension of the string is the double helix (where the wires
>wind around each other).  Since harpsichord wire is much softer
>than piano wire, there is a real danger of making the double helix too
>tight and bruising the wire -- in which case the string will
>eventually break at the end of the hitchpin windings. If the double
>helix is too loose, or if there is no double helix, the loop will be
>unreliable (a frequent sign of this is that tightening the tuning pin
>results in a slight LOWERING of pitch).
>
>        Since John Phillips is a highly respected maker, the hitchpin
>loops you describe must not be up to his normal standard.  Quality
>control isn't always perfect, and I'm sure if you contacted him
>he would replace the strings which have slipped immediately and
>without charge.
>
>        This matter is discussed very thoroughly (with illustrations)
>in Ed Kottick's excellent book "The Harpsichord Owner's Guide"
>(University of North Carolina Press) on pages 79 through 89 in my
>edition.  Kottick also discusses how to deal with the (in)famous
>tapered tuning pins which have no holes for the wire.  His book is
>a wonderful resource for anyone who works on harpsichords, and it
>is now available in paperback for less than twenty dollars (our local
>Borders bookstore stocks it). Hitchpin loops are also discussed in
>the construction manuals supplied with the kits of both
>Zuckermann Harpsichords and Hubbard Harpsichords, and there
>seems to be complete agreement on the necessity for the double helix.
>
>        If the above is unclear and you can't locate the Kottick book,
>please e-mail me for further details.  I would have posted this to
>PIANOTECH, but wasn't sure if it would be of general interest there.
>If you think it is, please feel free to forward it to the list.
>
>                                Regards,
>
>                                        Dan Lindblom
>
>lindblom@saturn.montclair.edu

_____________________________________
Avery Todd, RPT
Moores School of Music
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-4893
713-743-3226
atodd@uh.edu
_____________________________________