HPSCHD-L Archives

Harpsichords and Related Topics

HPSCHD-L@LIST.UIOWA.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Owen Daly <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Harpsichords and Related Topics <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 22 Oct 2016 13:46:38 -0700
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (29 lines)
In a recent post, my colleague Claudio di Veroli mentions a private discussion we had recently about some iron choices. I imagine that he doesn’t report my recommending Stephen Birkett’s historically-derived “p-iron” wire, perhaps because there are still sometimes issues with getting access to it, as Stephen continues to work on getting the production set up for commercially sustainable ‘shopping-cart’ availability. He’s getting there, but not quite yet.

But I know I would only have mentioned Vogel “Westphalian” as something to look into. I want to clarify that I’ve only vaguely heard about it, and that I have never used it, handled it, or even seen any of it. Just for the sake of clarity. Whether or not the Vogel wire is based upon the historical researches of Odell and Goodway, from around 25 years ago, as is Stephen’s new “p-wire,” I haven’t a clue. I’ve not seen any claims that it actually IS based upon historical Westphalian-process, and it may be that the use of the name is more intended to be evocative than rigorously the case. It would be good to know the answer to that. 

Before I had access to the new historical wire, I did use Voss as a next-best available alternative, since I was never very fond of the tin-plated ZHI “iron,” and I had come to find my wire of choice, Malcolm Rose’s beautifully-drawn ‘English iron A’ less than ideal for the kinds of qualities I aspired to have. The Voss has some interesting issues. I don’t remember ones of dull-sound, but I do remember that it came with a horrid gucky white mass all over it that looked like a cross between chalk and some kind of fungal growth. If this were removed by swiping through sandpaper for a last-minute polish during the stringing process, it would be ok (the white guck made the stuff want to “grab” bridge pins and such and create noticeable agraffe friction in my experience) but would within fairly short order show tendencies towards aggressive rusting. At one point, Lutz Bungart, who sold the Voss, and whose Instrument Workshop under the new direction of Lutz’s (and my) friend Stephen Bacon, told me that the guck came from the stuff being run through a bath of some kind of phosphorus salt, I think it was, perhaps in a kind of half-baked way of trying to evoke low-C/high-P chemistry, which, rightly speaking, should be the makeup of the actual alloy.

My most recent Voss- strung instrument (“Zell” before last) seems to please its owner greatly, so I don’t think we’re having issues with the wire sounding dull. It certainly LOOKS grey and dullish, but that’s a different issue. The plan is for the instrument to be restrung in Dr. Birkett’s p-iron at the earliest convenient opportunity - the wire is already in place, I’m told - but this hasn’t quite yet been able to happen, not until a series of gigs plays itself out.

owen




____________________________________


Owen Daly Early Keyboard Instruments
557 Statesman St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
http://www.dalyharpsichords.com
(503)-362-9396

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ATOM RSS1 RSS2