Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

If you have any truly collectable instruments by known historic makers -- Pritchard, Thomas, Singleton, Presnell, Mize, Ritchie, etc.   Make a list, assign a price, and post them here where other  serious dulcimer collectors can have an opportunity to enlarge their collection!

Or, pick out those "special" instruments, come here and post a list.  Then create a limited time auction post for one instrument at a time....

Make a list of your dulcimer playing friends and acquaintances.  Don't ask them,  Just "assign" one of your instruments to each person, based on whatever criteria you prefer.  Tell them to pick it up or arrange shipment.  

The Kentucky and North Carolina pieces were usually around 28 inch VSL.  (29 inch was common) The Virginia pieces were closer to 26 inch VSL. (Many shorter than that!) With that said, there were pieces in all regions that fell longer and shorter! Basically the Kentucky would have been a few inches longer than the Virginia in VSL...why? I have no idea. VSL is just one variation, the Virginians also pushed the nut farther up the staple board where as the Kentucky kept it agin the tail piece. Very different tonal qualities between the two methods, personal preference I suppose.

After passing my 81st birthday it seems prudent to consider dispersing my dulcimer collection. I have more of them than I do years on this earth - neither situation was planned, they "jes' growed!" I welcome practical suggestions. (I can also be contacted at my email: "Curt" at "last name" dot com.)

Years ago a gentleman from KY taught me how to build a mountain dulcimer. Do not remember how the conversion went but he indicated the VSL and fretboard lay out was based on a KY dulcimer. So I'm wondering if there were regional differences in the VSL. If there were differences was there a large difference? If the VSL from one state to the next was similar I wonder how that occurred.     

Randy is right. I've tried that in the past and it works well.

Thanks Randy.  That may be worth a shot!

Wooden friction pegs get polished slick and hard. Unpolish the pegs and the holes by scratching/roughing with sand paper. Don't sand any wood off! I forget what grit I've used but 80 or 100 may be good to start. If you are industrious and patient  and work with finesse you can refurbish the pegs.

Yes, uke tuners will work.  There are also a variety of geared tuners.  Just make sure, if you use geared tuners, that you install them 'right way around' as they come as "lefts" and "rights".

My wooden pegs have had it.  No amount of goop, drops, etc. is helping.  Need to find geared or friction tuners to fit.  Could I just use ukulele type tuners?  Thanks

Got it.  Thanks, Ken.

I've known several people over the years who have switched from guitar to MD, but usually for wrist pain or arthritis in the major fretting fingers, not the pinky.    IMHO it's good to get switched over now, before other hand issues start to appear.  

Noter & Drone is certainly the most definitive switch from the multi-finger/string fretting of guitar.  It has its own unique sound to offer, and a whole new world for you to explore.  One thing I would suggest is to not use the pathetic 1/4" dowel which even companies like McSpadden and Folkcraft include with their instruments.  Instead, look for noters of approximately the same diameter as your index finger.  I make many noters by rounding and polishing the "pen blanks" of exotic woods you can get from the Internet.  Bamboo also makes exemplary noters.  

Here's a link to a booklet I wrote a number of years back for folks interested in Noter & Drone style.  You can also find it in the Noter & Drone Group here (you have to "Join" a Group to be able to interact in any of the discussions).

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask here or in a Private Message.

Ken Hulme's "Get Noterized!" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com

I'm starting to develop pain in my left hand pinky from guitar playing.  I have a mountain dulcimer that I've started playing in noter style.  Has anyone else actually made a complete switch to mountain dulcimer from guitar for this reason?

Thanks

I move them up against the house in the winter months. Otherwise, all over the place!! 

Btw, despite the thread name, almost all my succulents, esp cacti, are outside. 

We're at ~3500 in SoCal, and I move them up close to the house, then cover them up with tarp/drop cloth on the handful of nights that we have freezing. A few I bring inside during the coldest weeks.

If your locale has a lot of December rains, better to bring them in or put under awnings, etc, so they don't get winter over-watering that way. Wet soil and temps in the 30's or lower - bad combo! Learned that the hard way when a few died like that.

Mostly though, they're easy - more tolerant of little watering than of over-watering. 

I have a lot of succulents and agree with Ken! Especially no water during their normal dormant period in winter (Dec-Jan). Jade is one exception to this (as is Christmas "cactus"), blooming in winter months - so I water them then, but modestly.

Cacti can for sure take 6 hours (or more) or direct sun, but I've found that can be too much for some more sensitive succulents. Lots of bright but indirect light seems to work well also. 

Though over-watering is likely your situation here, some people make the opposite mistake - thinking you should rarely or even never water them. Not true, especially in summer! Cacti and other succulents will thrive and bloom with summer watering on the order of twice a week - at least a cup for a quart-size pot, and similar. You can water to the point of flow-through, as long as they completely dry out in between, as Ken said. 

Happy succulents! 

. 

 baker's dozen blooms.JPG - 346KB

Bright Light  - at least 6 hours of direct sun a day.
Don't overwater.  This is the most common problem.  I had jade plant cuttings which hadn't been watered in 2 years spent all day on a tile windowsill,  and looked all wrinkled and dead, come back to life with a week of  watering on a bed of sand.   The planting medium needs to be DRY to the touch before you water.  The medium also has to drain well -- you want sand or 1/8" gravel, not peat bog potting soil. 

I'm so glad this Off Topic Discussion has been re-opened by our head of MD music & gardening .  I have questions about keeping succulents alive.  I've kind of learned how to manage a lot of regular plants, but succulents still must quake in fear at going home with me.  Tips wanted, please.

[quote="Lois Sprengnether Keel"]

YUM!  Seriously, can't those things catch bugs?!?  Sounds like they wait to be fed!  Heck, our pets can do that & are. . . well, pettable.

Most of the things folks grow as houseplants are wild in our yard.  Dracanae, Bromeliads.  Jasmine, Gardenia, Frangipani.  Night Blooming Cereus.  Several Cactus.  The neighbor had a 20 ft tall Schefflera. 

"Yummy"  says your nepenthes gaya. 

There was an annoying big fat house fly buzzing around my office window a few minutes ago. I swatted it and dropped it into the pitcher of my nepenthes Gaya carnivorous pitcher plant which i've been growing for about a year. Very satisfying. 

Mangos and watermelon... doesn't get much better than that Ken.

When i lived in Puerto Rico the neighbors had a huuuuge mango tree, and they never bothered eating any. (!) So my two little daughters and i would fill big bags and feast on them for weeks at a time. Good memories.

We've been awash with Mangos from our tree since mid May and the flood is finally trickling away.  I have 30 quarts frozen for mango goodies all winter.   

I've made several new versions of Gaspacho so far this year -- two based on mango and one based on watermelon.  Such a great treat in our warm summer.

We got the blueberry net up just in time a few days ago. Yesterday I picked the first ripe berries, got about 1 1/2 pints. We usually get blueberries for 1 month, and when they peter out the ripe tomato picking starts.
I planted only 13 tomato plants this year. Trying two plants of a new cherry tomato called Black Strawberry that has clusters of large dark cherry tomatoes with purple-y stripes. Also two "Lemon Boy" yellow tomatoes. This year I planted some patty pan squash... so cute!

What Dan said!   And yes, you do get more volume using a possum board.  Put your dulcimer on a wooden table and strum it.  Do it again, but first set the dulcimer on two pencils sitting on the table (one near each end of the instrument).  You will notice significantly more volume, depending on how hard you strum...

 "possum board" is a regional term for a tapered board used to stretch animal hides while they dry. I don't know if anyone knows who, when, where or why it is called what it is. I was raised in what is now Louisville Metro, Kentucky and the coon hunters there called them possum board as do the folks in Anderson County Tennessee and the surrounding areas. 

Yes you will get a little more volume from an instrument if it is allowed to vibrate freely. (give your instrument a good strum and lift it off your lap) 

By the way, I read something interesting a couple weeks ago. The word possum can refer to one of various possum species in parts of the world. But the precise name "opossum" refers specifically to the U.S.'s only native species of marsupial.

I'm sure you'll get many good responses here Homer!

But I'd also like to point out that a site search for the words "possum board" turns up some other cool results as well:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?jr_html_form_token=227cb384a33983011316aec8511948a1&search_string=possum+board

I have one of these too, that is part of my travel kit, in case I break a string and need to do a quick change while on the road. My normal cutters and battery string winder stay at home for all my scheduled string changes on all my instruments.  Yes Dusty, these do work good.

What is the history concerning the term possum board? Where did it come from? Why is it called a possum board? Does it increase the volume and/or tone of the instrument?

I use a combination string turner/wire cutter made by D'Addario.  I actually have a few of them and keep them in instrument cases.  They make changing strings super easy.

D'Addario PLanet Waves Pro Winder

Wally, that's a good idea. 

What I've sometimes done is use one of those clear plastic zipper pouches to hold all the little accessories.  Although some pliers kind of need a pouch of their own, because they are clunkier.  And now I have a little pick holder I love, that holds my 6 or 8 favorite picks (gleaned from an extensive pick-testing project). 

Right now I'm thinking of a pouch to hold a bunch of extra strings and a dollar store nail clipper for emergencies...

I've used "dollar store" nail clippers. Hard to beat the price and they can get lost in a gig bag.

Thanks everyone!  This gives me more of an idea of what to look for.  I agree that the cheapest won't be necessarily the best in this case. 

I did see diagonal cutting pliers online, and they looked like a good tool.  But perhaps I'll go to Home Depot and look at the pliers and cutters in person. 

As far as nail clippers, I do have a pair that isn't as great for nails, maybe I should try repurposing it! 

I don't use wire cutters. I use diagonal cutting pliers. That's not a semantic difference, but a difference in the steel alloy used in the construction of the pliers. A few years ago I purchased a set of small Husky pliers that included a small 4 inch diagonal cutting plier along with a needle nose plier and flat blade plier. They work well for instrument construction. I also have another small diagonal cutting plier that I keep in my traveling gig bag. I've had since 1974. I have a cheap pair that I bought at store called "Ollies" that sells "good stuff cheap" just to have an extra pair around. They work well also.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

i use an end cutter rather than side cutter.  Don't buy the gold plated one, but don't buy the dollar-store cheapo either.

I went to my local hardware store and looked at all the choices. I bought the size I wanted and the pair that felt best in my hands and were a quality brand. I change lots of strings on my dulcimers, guitars, etc., etc., etc. and they are still working great. Again, I'd stress a quality brand, RATHER THAN the cheapest set you can find on Amazon. Like they say, you get what you pay for. 

You can use just about any wire cutters with steel strings.  Harbor Freight Tools sells them, as do dollar stores, admittedly not the best quality, but serviceable for a while.  Don't tell anyone, but in a pinch you can use nail clippers too, if you don't care to use them on your nails again!

I have a small wire cutter that has lasted 20 plus years. Most of the small wire cutters are designed for small gauge copper electrical wire which is softer than steel.

The advice not to use for steel wire is likely cautionary on the part of the manufacturer, retailer or both.