Homer Ledford Dulcimer Reconstruction Project
Good Morning, Y'all & Happy Friday!
Last week I teased you a bit with a repair of a Homer Ledford (well-known dulcimer builder from the recent past) instrument repair. You might recall that this one came to us in "several" pieces. It was a family heirloom instrument, and definitely worth the cost of fixing it up again.
One of the sides. Two pieces, broken off a few inches from the head.
It was a clean break, with plenty of wood fibers still intact, so we were able to get the sides (both sides were broken in the same place!) put back together. Good glue, overnight clamping, and a piece of bent wood on the inside to reinforce the broken area.
The bottom side of the fretboard. This instrument's fretboard was attached to the top with staples.
The tag that was glued to the back. It came off in shipping, but was easily reattached. Now it is visible (again) through one of the lower sound holes.
One of the things that makes wood glue "strong" is the use of pressure to hold the joints securely while the wood cures. We have a few of these low-pressure clamps (probably over a hundred!), so finding enough to hold the repaired side in place while the glue set up wasn't a problem for us.
Another angle. You can see the head at the bottom of the photo, so you know that this is the "player side" of the dulcimer. After getting the side glued in place on the player side, the next day we tackled the "audience side" of the instrument.
I didn't end up with any photos of the broken top, which is unfortunate. I suppose I could break it again, just to get a photo. But I'll hold off on that, for now!
I'm pretty sure that Homer (Ledford, the builder) used linseed oil for the original finish. It was nicely aged, and had a great patina, but was a bit tacky/sticky in places. So we did a light sanding all over the instrument, and then applied a few coats of a modern finish (nitrocellulose lacquer).
I'm pleased with the way this dulcimer came out. You can absolutely see the repairs, but the instrument looks great now, and is structurally sound. It is definitely a balancing act when working on an older instrument. I could have replaced the sides with unbroken pieces, and even done the same for the broken top. But at some point, we would have gone so far from "original Ledford dulcimer" that the instrument would be a "modern Folkcraft made to look like a 1960's Ledford."
Thanks for reading, Y'all - I hope you enjoyed a look into the repair of a cool, old dulcimer!
Richard Ash - luthier-who'll-fix-or-adjust-most-any-dulcimer-you-have-not-just-Folkcraft-and-FolkRoots-instruments
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DALE JABLONSKI
I'm Dale Jablonski and I live in the Northeast corner of Utah. Music is very important to me. I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, but never seemed to be able to find the time.
Once I retired, I set a goal to try to finally learn how to play an instrument. After taking inventory of various factors, I decided on attempting to learn how to play the dulcimer.
I'd been playing for about 8 years and wanted to acquire another dulcimer that had more features than my present one. In addition, I wanted a hand-made model. Folkcraft was highly recommended and it has not disappointed.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE DALE & YOU!
HELLO FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
We don't have a new player to add to our online global dulcimer community this week, but we are still glad to re-feature community member, Dale Jablonski. "How've you been, Dale?"
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
I (Mandy) want to encourage you to become a better musician each week, so this week we will look at an easy way to challenge yourself. We will work on the concept of finding the notes to the melody in more than one place on the fretboard. You can try this technique on any song you currently play. Then, try to smoothly go between each version without losing any timing. You can do it! Have fun! Just click on the image below to listen & learn.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS - BOOK 1
by Judy & Kirk House
Ensemble arrangements from Kirk House and Judy House. Eleven tunes, each with three to seven parts. You're going to have a ton of fun with this book! (82 pages)
This book is published by Judy and Kirk House, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED:
Annie Laurie (5 parts)
Away In A Manger (5 parts)
Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella (5 parts)
By The Waters Of Babylon (5 parts, and round)
Farther Along (4 parts)
Flee As A Bird (3 parts)
Going Home (5 parts)
La Paloma (4 parts)
Liza Jane (3 parts)
March Of The Kings (5 parts)
The Parting Glass (6 parts)