Forum Activity for @skip

I wouldn't recommend a heat gun, really high risk of burning the top especially around the sound holes and head/tailstock. Been there, done that. Heat works good when the pieces are pretty much the same thickness, not so much when the are so different

A wide drum sander [panel sander] may work. I've tried leveling wood using a hand held belt sander, doesn't work real well too often.

A 7"-8" long hand plane may give the best results [long up, around 18"/ 20", planes are what the old time cabinet makers used to level or flatten a board].

OH I LOVE THIS SITE....that is what I need to two dulcimers that I got at weird places.   Now that I know how to tune dulcmers...and hear and SEE it with my phone tuner....I want them ALL in tune.  nope...some were never fretted properly.  Great suggestions here and one of them is going to work.  THEN I can loan out these dulcimers with happiness that my students will be playing in tune.   aloha, irene

Ken's right-- I'll sometimes use a Harbor Freight Tools heat gun to soften some Titebond glue enough to reposition something.  It works quite well.

Haha!  Molly, I used to say of one of our dogs how she was spoiled-- just smell her.  

They’re spoiled stinkin’ rotten, Robin!

@molly-mccurdy Those pups look like they're living the good life!  :) Great pics! 

@john-c-knopf I'm not one bit surprised the buyer loves it.

IFF you used Titebond (or hide glue) in the glue-up, you may be able to use a heat gun, aimed at the fretboard/top junction along both sides, to soften the glue (even after years) and gently pull the fretboard off.

UPDATE:  He just received it a couple hours ago, and he loves it!  Sentiments to brighten a poor luthier's heart!

Thanks, John. I’ll give that a try, maybe with a hand planer or sander.

Molly, I can't see what you're dealing with, but in most cases you should be able to surface the topside of the fretboard level, then either refinish it and install frets, or glue a 1/8" thick fingerboard over the fretboard and cut your fret slots in that.

The trick is getting the fretboard flat.  You could use a belt sander with a coarse grit belt, or a hand plane, or if you feel really lucky, run it through a power planer, a little cut at a time.

My two weenie girls, Emmy and Cricket, and my Granddaughter, Ariana, with my one-eyed demon weenie, Daisy, who now lives with Ariana because Daisy likes her best.

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What is the best method of removing a fretboard from a dulcimer? I built a dulcimer years ago that I thought was firewood because the fretboard was warped. A friend suggested I remove the fretboard, make a new one and put another top on the dulcimer if it gets damaged in the process. Any suggestions?

Thank you all for the comments.  The new owner should have it in a couple of days now.

ahhhhhhhhhh, like it very much!!!   Possum board is not permanently attached.  So depending on the group playing with, in need of a louder sound....the "board" is there.  I wanted to look at it up close, but that option was not there.   I still like playing my dulcimers on a little low table, but I'm a chunky granny....so I have more control of what I can do with a dulcimer on the table....instead of on my lap.  ha.  Beautiful luthery!!! (I don't know how to spell it, but I can sure recognize good work when I see it here or in person) aloha, irene

Beautifully done! I have been and always shall be a sucker for walnut.

And now, for the newbie question. Please Sir, what is a possum board?

...oops, I found the discussions...

Some additional points beyond what Ken L went over:

Victoria, are you trying to post a profile/avatar picture of yourself that replaces the generic one of the tan dulcimer?...one that will show to the left of your posts?
If that's what you're trying to do, then you need to go into your Settings to replace the generic image.   

There are two easy ways to get to your account Settings:

1) go to your Profile page, and click on the GEAR icon at the right top corner to the right of your large name. Once in your Settings, notice that there are two tabs: one for Profile and one for Account.  Go to both those Tabs and follow the directions to upload your picture for your avatar (one pic will show only on your Profile page, and the other will show next to all your posts elsewhere the site. They can both be the same picture if you like).

2) the other quick way to get to your member settings is to hover over your name at the very top of any page here, on the right... the drop down menu will appear and just click on "account settings" - it will take you to the same place in your profile settings where you'll see those two tabs for Profile and Account.

If you see a bunch of weird code- it may be a bug of some sort in the site coding. If it is, I'll need you to tell me exactly what your steps were that make the code pop up, and a screenshot of the odd code you see would be invaluable to me in tracking down the problem and fixing it.  If you're seeing an error message, then I'd need to know exactly what the message says, and what steps you did that produce the message.  If I can't reproduce a bug or get detailed descriptions of how it happens, then it becomes very difficult to track it down and fix it.  Thanks!~

Victoria, I am not sure what you were seeing when you tried to upload a photo. If you are on your page under your name and you click on the Photo box you see a page that says Create a Gallery. Click on the plus sign, name your gallery, and then choose a photo file. I find it easiest to have the photo file on my desktop and choose the file from there. I can't choose a file from my photo program. That just doesn't work for me. I am using a MacBook Pro, but I suspect it may work similarly with a Windows machine. Please ask more specific questions if this does not help you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That was a most enjoyable article/read.  Some our song writers might consider working on a tune called "John Henry".  He really is a treasure.  I hope someone will tell him how much many of us have enjoyed listening to him over the years.  I hope to hear him for many more too!

(It might sound crazy to a few folk, but I often think of many of the people who were with us over the years and have now gone on.......why not name tunes after them and there by remember their place in our dulcimer family.  You get the idea...

If set aside time to join in  "Play Music on the Porch Day", could we not also set aside one day a year to remember our friends with something similar?  Just a thought..........)

He seems a lovely fellow, @don-grundy. I have met his son, Paul, who I will be "conversing" with in a future blog, but not yet had the pleasure of meeting John.

You're very welcome @dan. It was great talking to him.

Our beloved John Henry, thank you for sharing!!!

This week's "Conversation" delves into the formation of the Nonsuch Dulcimer Club in the UK, with founder member John Crocker. He also tells me about his "found objects"!

https://mdconversations.blogspot.com/2019/09/5-john-crocker-from-bristol-uk.html

@dulcinina & @marg Your time making music with friends sounds wonderful! 

I had a few players from our group over and we played at sunset, made for a beautiful evening - music and friends

@dedicated-dad I knew what you meant and second @Dusty-Turtle on joining the 4 Equidistant Strings group.  We're happy to have you here at FOTMD!  

Thanks everyone.  We are definitely smitten.

Cats are the CRAZIEST people!

Dusty has such a pretty and unusual color coat. Pretty kitty.

Dusty is very cute, congrats on the new fur-baby!

Yes, "upper strings" meaning higher tones, treble, higher register.  The strings nearest your body when playing.  

What a beautiful and charming kitten. I know you will enjoy her in  your life.

It seemed to me the OP was referring to the strings closest to the body as "upper strings" of the equidistant strings because he clearly asked whether they were played together as if they were close together (as some melody strings are doubled).

"Upper" strings???  No such thing.  Dulcimers are not vertical instruments! 

Do you mean the strings closer to you than farther away?  Or higher pitched versus lower pitched? Or melody versus middle drone versus bass strings?

As Skip says, there is no "proper" tuning or a 3, 4, 5 or 6 string dulcimer; just a number of possibilities depending on the  kind of music you want to play and how you want to play it.

@gulfcoastgal What a pretty cat!  She got the size Small genes.  :)

@dulcinina Dusty sure is cute and is lucky to have her new family!  

Like most everything else with a MD, there is not a 'proper' tuning for 4 equidistant, it depends on what you're trying to do. The strings are equally spaced across the nut/bridge, like a 4 string banjo, so they can be picked individually. This layout is used primarily for fingerpicking/flatpicking

This little gal showed up 3 weeks ago, skinny, skittish and abandoned.  I began feeding her and after a week she let us pet her.  By the 2nd week we were able to pick her up.  We took her to the vet where she got a checkup and her shots.  Vet said she was about 8-10 weeks old.  We haven't had a cat in 5 years and we've never had a kitten.  She is so much fun and so loveable.  Meet Dusty who is honored to share the name with our own Dusty Turtle on FOTMD.  Nina

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