Building a Clavichord – 6 & 7

I’ve been so busy building, I haven’t gotten around to writing. Or doing anything else.
The listing cloth, a long ribbon of red felt, has been woven between the strings:

It pulls together the pairs of strings struck by each tangent, and it stops the string from vibrating once the key is released.
I managed to “chip” it to tune; ie pull it very roughly into something vaguely resembling “in tune.” But I still have to set the temperament and do the actual first tuning.
In the meantime, I went ahead and finished the stand:

It’s also made of cherry, finished the same way the case is (two coats of tung oil, followed by a light coat of paste wax). The cover and fallboard are also back in place, as is the cord supporting the lid. I’m not sure I’ve tied it correctly, but it doesn’t matter since it’s against the wall, which keeps the lid from falling backward. Still, I’d like to try finding some fine brass chain to replace it.
From a visual standpoint, it’s finished. Huzzah! I suppose all that’s left is to post a video, or at least an audio file, once the tuning is complete.

Source: Musings of a Dinosaur - August 17, 2015 Category: Primary Care Authors: notdeaddinosaur Tags: Miscellaneous Source Type: blogs