Lacquer Lessons From Richard, And Henry Ford
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
We've been B-U-S-Y in the shop this week. Last week, towards the end of the week, Cheyenne got a small batch (six!) of instruments sanded, and then he took them to the lacquer area, where I took over.
First up, I sprayed each instrument, top and sides, then back and sides, with a "sanding sealer." Sanding sealer is a coat of finish that adheres well to both wood and lacquer, so it is the perfect first coat on an instrument. It smooths over the wood grain a little, and provides an amazing foundation for the lacquer that we use.
Our lacquer is a "nitrocellulose" lacquer. Nitrocellulose is regarded by many instrument builders as the ultimate in finishes. It looks great, feels great, has high durability, and (important for dulcimers) sits "on top" of the wood, rather than soaking into the wood. A finish that soaks in, like most oil finishes, can change the tone of an instrument pretty dramatically.
Lacquer has been used by humans since the stone age, but the modern lacquer we use (based on cellulose, not tree sap!) has been around since the 1920s. Henry Ford used it for his Model T's. Fender used it for their guitars until 1968. And Folkcraft has used it for our dulcimers SINCE 1968. Some instrument builders have switched to a more modern finish, often a polyurethane or polyester. But many instrument makers have stayed with the older (1920's isn't that old, is it?) nitrocellulose finish.
Here's a piece of mango lumber with lacquer on one end, and bare wood on the other end:
If Henry Ford played the dulcimer, he would have wanted a lacquer finish - probably.
And yes, I've experimented with other (modern) finishes. But I've never found a finish with the beauty of nitrocellulose lacquer. And speaking of "beauty," nitrocellulose lacquer is really, really good at making interesting wood grain really jump out at you.
Lacquer makes the grain really jump out, visually, and gives great definition to the wood fibers.
To show you what I'm talking about, here's an entire dulcimer made of mango wood:
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS DULCIMER
The curly sides, and curly/spalted back? It would be dull with most other finishes. That's all I've got to say on the subject.
So moving on to another subject, then...
Folkcraft is moving. We're selling our building in Indiana and moving to Michigan. You may remember that Folkcraft Instruments started out in Lyndon, Vermont. And then David Marks, Folkcraft's founder, moved the company to a much larger location in Winsted, Connecticut. In 2007, I moved Folkcraft from Winsted, Connecticut, to Woodburn, Indiana.
At some point this fall, I'm moving Folkcraft (and my wife, Aly, and my Dad, Jim) to northern Michigan. Here's Aly standing on a map of Michigan, showing where the main Folkcraft workshop will be as of late this fall. Moving a family is a huge job, and moving a family - and a rather well-equipped wood shop - is going to be a big undertaking for us.
Aly's left foot is north of Escanaba, Michigan, and south of Marquette, Michigan.
We'll still make instruments, repair instruments, and ship instruments, books, and strings all over the world. Only we'll do it from Michigan, not from Indiana, or Connecticut, or Vermont. Our phone number and email address will stay the same as it is now.
Best of all? The crew making your instruments and cases won't be changing. Richard, Jim, Pam, and Cheyenne will be doing the same jobs they do now, just from different buildings. Pam will make cases in her home sewing room, Cheyenne will make dulcimers in his home wood shop, and Richard and Jim will still be working together, but in the new Upper Peninsula wood shop.
But... The new location means we won't be hosting any more of our Second Saturday Clinics, so if you've always wanted to attend... Now's the time. Our last clinic is next month, we're hosting Dave Haas as our artist/instructor. CLICK HERE for more details or to register for Dave's clinic.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - Have a fun, music-filled weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-who's-already-dreaming-of-making-dulcimers-out-of-maple-trees-and-fir-trees-harvested-from-the-woods-at-the-new-shop-location
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: BRANDON HORTON
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Brandon: I started playing in the summer of 2019. My wife and I took a woodworking class where we were able to build our own basic teardrop shaped dulcimers, and it made me fall in love with this instrument. The instructor encouraged noter/drone style, but since I already had a background in classical guitar flat-picking and finger style just came more naturally to me.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Brandon: On March 15, 2021. A walnut teardrop by Jim Ash with celtic sound holes. Then came the walnut hourglass with crosses, and most recently the cardboard kit we built this past summer.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Brandon: On the couch mostly, with my main audience being our Chihuahua mix, Cookie. But also for my family at holiday gatherings.
Folkcraft: What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing the dulcimer?
Brandon: Art, reading, and movies. I graduated with a BA in...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF BRANDON'S STORY AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE BRANDON & YOU!
HELLO FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
We don't have a new player to add to our global, online dulcimer community today, but we are delighted to re-feature Brandon Horton. How've you been, Brandon?
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:
This week Mandy will walk us through our D major scale on the bass string, then on all three strings, and then we’ll find it elsewhere. Use these scales to learn the notes, learn positions to find the notes, and practice flat-picking techniques. 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.
CATSKILL MOUNTAIN WALTZES AND AIRS
by Melanie Johnston
Melanie Johnston has done it again! With 22 amazing arrangements of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason songs (from their "Catskill Mountain Waltzes" book), this selection of mountain dulcimer tablature is just what the fiddle player ordered!
The audio files (in MP3 format) are computer-generated from the dulcimer tablature. They're created with a piano sound, and will let you hear "how it goes" for each song.
This book is published by Melanie Johnston, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED:
Allaire • Amid The Rivers And The Streams • Blue Noon • The Blue River Waltz • Cabernet • Call Of The West • Catskill Mountain Waltz • Cedar Grove • Cool September Rain • Delbert's Tear • The Elephant Hotel • Hudson Valley Serenade • Johanna • The Love Of My Life • The Lovers' Waltz • The Mountain House • My Blue Mountain Home • The New Mexico Waltz • Opal June • The Solstice Maid • Thanksgiving Hymn • Tuesday Night Waltz
Check out these five-star reviews for this book
✮✮✮✮✮ Now I Can Play Along With Jay & Molly. As an avid listener to Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's weekly Facebook Quiet Room, there were several songs they played that I wanted to learn. One week they mentioned there was a book with their dulcimer tab for the songs I wanted to learn. I found the book at Folkcraft's website and ordered it. Now, when Jay and Molly play the songs I like, I can play along with them. Folkcraft was also very prompt in getting the book to me. (Marilyn - 2/28/25)
✮✮✮✮✮ What A Wonderful Book. The songs are so pretty and nicely done in tablature. I definitely recommend this wonderful book to others! (Cynthia - 1/28/25)
ALSO AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORM AT FOLKCRAFT.COM
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