Today I was able to snag a few minutes to attach the balance rail. When I did the last dry run, I drew a pencil line on the inside of the case bottom along both sides of the balance rail to mark its permanent home. The rail was a hair short - too slight to need a shim - so I inserted some shiny cardstock I had handy. After removing all the pieces from the dry run, I marked five screw holes (being careful to avoid any balance pin holes) and drilled through the bottom of the case to accommodate the 1-1/4" screws provided. I used the countersink on the bottom exterior of the case so the screws would go in flush. I squeezed three dots of glue on the bottom of the balance rail, set it in place inside the lines, added my little cardboard shim, and allowed the glue to set for 30 minutes. At that point, I took a smaller drill bit and drilled up through the previously-drilled holes and into the rail. The trick here is to keep the drill bit perpendicular so that when you screw the rail down, it doesn't shift off position because your pilot holes are off. I did my best. I knocked the rail off the case, scraped off the glue, and then reapplied a layer of glue to the bottom of the rail and the two ends that would attach to the hitchpin rail and wrestplank, set the rail in, and drove the screws home. It's drying as I type.
When the flush of a new-born sun fell first on Eden's green and gold,
Our father Adam sat under the Tree and scratched with a stick in the mould;
And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart,
Till the Devil whispered behind the leaves, "It's pretty, but is it Art?"
--From THE CONUNDRUM OF THE WORKSHOPS
by Rudyard Kipling
Visit my website: http://www.glassylady.com
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
As If I Don't Have Enough to Do
Since I'm baking a lot of cookies for the holidays, I decided to start a cookie recipe blog at http://www.yummycookierecipes.blogspot.com/ and share the results of my baking adventures - good, bad, and otherwise. Many (but not all) of the recipes are from my grandmother's collection. She gathered recipes from friends, her sisters, and The Chicago Tribune. Since she died in 1972, many of the recipes I'll be sharing may qualify as "vintage." Give it a look now and again if you like cookie recipes. I promise to post more about my progress on the clavichord construction soon.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Why am I not surprised?
Just a quick update on my little battle with Zuckermann. I opened a case with the Better Business Bureau on Nov. 24, 2010. After review, they assigned a case number and sent a copy of the complaint to Zuckermann with a request for a response by Dec. 9. On Monday, Dec. 13, the BBB contacted me and asked if I had heard from Zuckermann since they have heard nothing from them. Of course, the silence has been deafening. Lends credence to my complaint. A reminder of the dispute has been sent by the BBB.
It is a pity that a company which caters to a niche market has so little regard for its customers. I guess this third instrument kit will be my last one because I can't afford to be "taken" like this again.
But do stay tuned (sic) for updates on my progress with the building of the clavichord. While I can't recommend the company, I can still enjoy the journey with the instrument.
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