Harp pegs slipping

Subject: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 02:08 AM

My little 19 string celtic lap harp is behaving badly..... not holding its tune... the pegs seem to be slipping... is there a way of tightening the pegs? do you wrap something round them?

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 02:44 AM

waxed dental floss if they are bad, and synthetic plumbers tape works well if they are just a little worn.

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 03:08 AM

thanks guest I'll give the floss a try

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: ciarili
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 03:44 AM

Perhaps shoes with better traction...kidding!

ciarili

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 06:31 AM

You could try getting some fiddle rosin, sandpapering a bit of it to powder, taking the tuning pins out and rubbing a bit of this rosin powder on them and then replacing the pin. But be careful! A little goes a long way. If it's really bad you could scrape a few scratches into the pin with a metal-file to increase the resistance (and catch more rosin) but that can then make an uneven wear in the pinhole. Harpmakers do have ways of fixing this problem with a reamer but I'm not sure enough of the procedure to explain it because I could get it wrong.

Alsion, there's a very good online discussion forum for harp players, and this is the sort of question you'd get a lot of helpful answers for. PM me if you want to know more. Good luck! Bonnie

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: Helen
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 07:01 PM

Hi alison,

I use cello rosin. I think that it has to be for metal pins in wooden holes. It comes in a little cake like a toffee at a school fete. I just take each pin out of its hole and rub it vigorously on the rosin cake and then put it back firmly in the hole. It may not seem to have stuck straight away but it seems to gum up in a short time.

Don't do anything drastic like getting the holes reamed out until you have tried this because you'll probably find it does the trick. It's less messy than dental floss and plumber's tape too.

I had this problem on the first day that I got my first harp and totally panicked. It was a Saturday afternoon and the shops shut at noon in those days (1980) and didn't re-open until Mondays. I rang the shop's after hours number and luckily found a very helpful person who was not worried about being disturbed at home and who told me about the cello rosin.

Are you going to St Albans this year? We'll be there so I can have a look at your harp then, if you like. I'll be bringing mine again, so we can have another harp session. The last one was the highlight of my year.

Helen

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 08:39 PM

thanks everyone,

I'll borrow some rosin from a fiddler friend and give it a go.... as to St Albans... yes I am... must start a new thread...... hubby has made me a new harp (not the one with the slipping pegs)a gorgeous 29 string one.... but its still in the "tune every 5 minutes to get the strings to stretch" stage... don't think it'll be ready in time.....



slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: Gloredhel
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 10:55 PM

When I've had this trouble I've gotten very thin pieces of copper from the hardware store and wrapped it around the peg. Worked pretty well.

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: harpmaker
Date: 10 Apr 02 - 08:31 PM

Alison, Are the tuning pegs tapered? As we say in Yorkshire 'summut to nowt' John.

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 11 Apr 02 - 12:07 AM

nope.. seem to be the same thickness throughout... they go all the way through the harp if that makes a difference

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: RichM
Date: 11 Apr 02 - 09:26 PM

Alison you might want to try a trick guitar players use to "settle" new strings. After the first tuning, pull each string sideways ...and then retune. Once or twice doing this, seems to settle new strings in more quickly--at least it does for a guitar...

Rich

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 11 Apr 02 - 10:59 PM

thanks Rich.....
OK next question.... when tuning a big harp.. is there a good place to start?.......at the moment I'm starting in the middle and working 'outward" in both directions...... because starting at one end makes it go out of tune quicker

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: GUEST,julia
Date: 11 Apr 02 - 11:00 PM

You could get a set of bigger pins

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: GUEST,Helen, at hubby's computer
Date: 12 Apr 02 - 07:00 AM

Another way to decide which order to tune is to tune all the C's then all the D's etc. My theory is that it spreads the load across the soundboard more evenly, but another advantage is that you can then check each C string against all the others etc.

My pins are tapered but not "down to nothing". Unless you get one out and look at it it's not obvious that it is tapered.

Helen

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: John P
Date: 12 Apr 02 - 08:48 AM

I work for a harp manufacturer, so I deal with this a lot. If the pin goes all the way through the neck, it is almost certainly tapered. This means that the tension is held by friction, the same as on fiddle pegs. Unlike a fiddle, the pins are metal. Harp pins loosen up over time because of changes in humidity and temperature -- the wood of the harp neck swells and contracts slightly, and the metal of the pins doesn't. To tighten them, you just need to push them in further. A good way to do that is to downtune the string by about a step or so and then apply a lot of inward force while tuning the string back up. The combination of the twisting motion of the tuning and the inward motion of the applied force helps to set the pin more firmly. On most harps you can apply a surprising amount of force if you need to without damaging the instrument. You'll quickly get the feel for what is needed. In extreme cases you can use a small hammer and tap the pin inward, wedging it deeper into the wood. This technique should be used with caution -- tap very lightly at first to get a feel for it and put something like some leather or a little piece of wood between the end of the pin and the hammer. Happy harping!

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: harpmaker
Date: 12 Apr 02 - 05:23 PM

Alison, I have just looked at your harp on the photo links. The pegs in your harp ARE tapered. I echo what ~John P~ said. Just push them in harder with your tuning key. (don't forget to de-tune first though)! John @ Dolphin Harps

Subject: RE: Harp pegs slipping
From: alison
Date: 13 Apr 02 - 01:38 AM

thanks everyone for the advice... I used rosin and pushed it in harder... seems to be holding fine now.....

slainte

alison