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torquillThis is really for my own reference, though I'd be happy if anyone else found it useful. :)
Tools: tuning key, forceps/hemastats, dikes or scissors
Light the neck from below -- shine a lamp on the soundboard, or use light reflected off the floor. Brace the base of the harp against a solid object, but so that you can lean it forward and then back against yourself.
Run the string through the soundboard, then hang onto it firmly with one hand while threading it through. Run it forward of the bridge pin, then aft of the tuning pin. It may need to be straightened a bit to allow it to be threaded upward.
Get it partway, then use the forceps to fish it the rest of the way. Don't let go of the string below the neck until you're sure it's not going to snap back down. Make sure it doesn't wind itself around the neighboring string inside the neck.
Pull the string straight, then thread it downward through the pin, using as much slack as possible. Turn the pin clockwise a half-turn, and use the forceps to retrieve the string end. Give it a gentle tug to take up slack.
Wind the string onto the pin; keep the end to the right, and use the forceps in your off hand to snug the string up against the hole while winding. Do not allow the string to cross itself, as this weakens the string and causes it to tune unevenly.
To knot the smaller strings, make a half-hitch and cinch it down so that there's about an inch of tail. Run the tail back through the knot to make a slipknot, and crease the loop so that it keeps as much tail on the other side as the length of the loop. Cinch once more.
After stringing and before tuning, ensure that the neck and pillar are correctly aligned. Tune from the top down.
Tools: tuning key, forceps/hemastats, dikes or scissors
Light the neck from below -- shine a lamp on the soundboard, or use light reflected off the floor. Brace the base of the harp against a solid object, but so that you can lean it forward and then back against yourself.
Run the string through the soundboard, then hang onto it firmly with one hand while threading it through. Run it forward of the bridge pin, then aft of the tuning pin. It may need to be straightened a bit to allow it to be threaded upward.
Get it partway, then use the forceps to fish it the rest of the way. Don't let go of the string below the neck until you're sure it's not going to snap back down. Make sure it doesn't wind itself around the neighboring string inside the neck.
Pull the string straight, then thread it downward through the pin, using as much slack as possible. Turn the pin clockwise a half-turn, and use the forceps to retrieve the string end. Give it a gentle tug to take up slack.
Wind the string onto the pin; keep the end to the right, and use the forceps in your off hand to snug the string up against the hole while winding. Do not allow the string to cross itself, as this weakens the string and causes it to tune unevenly.
To knot the smaller strings, make a half-hitch and cinch it down so that there's about an inch of tail. Run the tail back through the knot to make a slipknot, and crease the loop so that it keeps as much tail on the other side as the length of the loop. Cinch once more.
After stringing and before tuning, ensure that the neck and pillar are correctly aligned. Tune from the top down.
