Jim, I've been using the Nickel & Dime action set for nearly 40 years, and so have lots and lots of other people. You aren't fretting or strumming while the coins are in place, simply using them as a gauge for the height of the action.
If you have "fret peaks" higher than a dime at the first fret, then the first fret probably needs to be re-set.
Thanks for bringing up this topic. This winter in Western Pennsylvania has been a tough one on wooden instruments. One inexpensive little guitar with a very thin top developed 3 cracks and the whole top started to sink. I thought it was toast but my guitar tech just laughed and advised me to aggressively hydrate it and then glue the remaining cracks. I was dubious but it is actually working and I haven't even glued them yet!
Moral of this story is believe what they all say about hydrating your instruments and never give up without giving it a try. As my tech says, "The trees just want to go back to the forest!"
Barb
Thanks, everybody.
Dan, the existing holes were carefully tapered with a violin reamer, and the new pegs shaved to fit with a violin peg shaver. Ken, I think they are old banjo planetary tuners, as you said. Jim, the planetary tuners were installed slightly cockeyed, with large external-tooth lockwashers. I'm quite sure that John Tignor originally equipped his dulcimers with the walnut pegs I reproduced here. And whoever restrung this dulcimer put 3 wound steel strings on it. When the correct strings were mounted, the action was very high throughout. The string spacing is consistent with the old J. E. Thomas and Amburgey noter/drone dulcimers. They put the drones close together, at the far side of the fretboard, so it would be easier to play the melody string alone.
Nice new pegs John. The old ones look like planetary banjo tuners.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Ken, are you sure about suggestion #3 in your post below? You say:
However, fret profiles vary with regard to the peak height above the fret board. In some cases, laying a dime on the fret board next to the fret could leave next to no allowance for the string to vibrate and gauging this way could cause the second fret to buzz when fretting the first fret, the third fret to buzz when fretting the second fret, etc. I have one example where the fret peak is in fact a tad higher than a dime's thickness.
Another consideration is that, due to age or builder error, the setting of frets may vary somewhat from note to note, causing another source of fret peak variance and susceptibility to fret buzz. This condition would of would be exacerbated with lower action adjustments - especially when performed at the nut. Frankly I opt for using a dime on top of the fret as a starting point and work from there. Ideally, there must be a better top-of-fret gauge for determining nut depth cuts.
I appreciate you passing on conventional wisdom Ken, but I hope you appreciate my caveats to gauging with a dime as you described. I'd hate to see someone trade better action for a fret resetting job or worse.
Having said that, Ken correctly points out that conventionally the mechanics of dulcimer action are evaluated at the first and seventh frets. I'll add that floating bridge placement is evaluated as relative intonation at the seventh fret versus its open string.
John, I like what you did in fabricating those wooden pegs. Personally, I prefer more of paddle shape for grips but if your fine efforts replicate an original pattern I'd opt for the same.
While your peg refit is aesthetically more pleasing than the "as found" set-up, I find those mechanical tuners quite intriguing. I've never seen anything quite like them. While I wouldn't call myself an expert on mechanical key designs, I have done more than a little research into what's out there. They definitely have an "old-timely" look. Maybe your photos don't tell the whole story, but to say the mechanical tuners were "inexpertly mounted" may be a disservice. After all, they were installed such that re-conversion to violin style pegs was pretty straightforward. It is possible that they were installed by the maker - notwithstanding the "drilled through" peg box. A number of builders employ drilled through peg boxes even though the finished product ends up with mechanical friction or geared tuners (e.g. McSpadden, May etc.). I would definitely keep those unmounted mechanical tuners with the instrument as part of its provenance and availability for re-conversion should the owner not have the patience for violin-style friction pegs.
While I was glad to hear that the action was improved by simply deepening the string slots, I would hope that you did it with a 10 to 12 gauge melody string in mind because the high action could have simply been a matter of a 22+ gauge string in a 12 gauge cut - if you get my drift.
I really had to do a double-take on that string layout. Namely the wider spacing between the melody string compared to the drones. With that, and staples for frets, the builder apparently had optimizing noter/drone playing style in mind. I'd probably go for a DAA string set with this.
Here are before and after photos of the Tignor pegs:
Did you standardize the taper?
Here are before and after photos of the Tignor pegs:
Thank you very much for your quick answers! I was very sad and I feel much better now. I showed your advices to my luthier friend and he'll do as you say.
Volha, you have been given excellent advice!
I have a cherry dulcimer made by Rodney Hensley that looks just like yours and it, too, sounds wonderful.
Hot hide glue and fiddle clamps, let sit over night. Clean it up the next morning with a warm wet cloth and go back to playin'!
DAN
www.dulcimore.com
I agree with John, and might even do a 'pre-clamp' for practice. That would help you also be sure you have a sufficient number of clamps; keeping your clamps as close as possible to avoid 'unclamped' areas.
Volha, that's a very beautiful dulcimer! And a very big crack, too!
If the wood is still all there, it can be glued with Franklin Titebond wood glue (or a similar woodworking glue) and clamped well. It shouldn't be a difficult repair to accomplish, even though it looks very bad right now.
Hope it goes well with you and you once again have a wonderful instrument! Happy Easter.
Hi guys,
I have one great sounding dulcimer of Rodney Hensley made of cherrywood and it got some cracks on the side. As I see, this one was construted without kerfing.
I have a friend who is guitar luthier, he has no experience of dulcimer repairment but has the tools and experience of woodworking and electric guitars making.
Extremely need your advise - what operations he has to do to fix the cracks and which glue to use better for this operation not to loose this great sound.
Side is little bit going out of the body shape in the crack place.
Mr. Hensley's site is down and I can't ask him directly for advice.
Thanks in advance, Volha
John and Jim, I'm glad to hear that both of these fixes worked.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Great story, Jim. There are several ongoing mysteries about dulcimers and their builders.
I called the owner of the Tignor, and he said it would be OK for me to deepen the existing string slots, so I did, and it was a big improvement. That dulcimer sings sweetly now with a normal playing touch. He has yet to pick it up from me, but I'm sure he'll love it now. I'm sure the late John Tignor would approve as well.
BOTH of you really need to show up for the second-First Berea Traditional Dulcimer Gathering, that several of us here are hosting May 16-19, 2019 (yes, that's next year) The ONLY dulcimer event dedicated to traditional instruments and traditional playing styles.
See the articles about Hindman in Exile and the Event listing here by David Bennett, KenWL and myself.
Is there any provenance for this dulcimer? A maker's label or name inside? What IS that dark blob around the off-side upper soundhole??? If it is old -- pre-1970 -- you might want to think carefully about restoration.
1. That crack isn't going anywhere. I would carefully fill it with superglue after putting painters tape close around. That will stabilize it just fine.
2. As mentioned check the location of the Bridge if it is a floating bridge (not set in a tight-fitting slot). The crest of the Bridge should be the same distance away from the 7th fret as the 7th fret is from the Nut. That being correct, then
3. Lower the action down to what we call the Nickel & Dime position. Set a dime alongside the 1st fret and lower the nut until the strings just touch it. Set a nickel on top of the 7th fret and lower the bridge until the strings just touch the coin.
4. Finish -- Many of the J.E. "Uncle Ed" Thomas replicas are painted black, and look quite nice (I own and play one). The thought is that he did exactly what you indicate -- painted the instrument to hide bland wood. I've also recently seen several old traditional dulcimers that appear to have been stained or painted a reddish-black that is quite attractive.
Thanks Matt and Jim! I think I will take a fine bristled, little paint brush and maybe put a small, light coating on the inside of the crack. Like I said, it doesn't push out when I apply pressure. But the action is off the fretboard by, at least, 1/2 to 5/8 by the bridge/tailpiece. Pictured below is open A and fretted A. Kind of shows how sharply it progresses. I have just tuned it slightly, flat so I can do some noter drone playing till I can get to Menards for supplies...
Given the age, the crack probably didn't happen yesterday. If there's no body buzz, it's probably stable (especially if the sidewall/bottom junctions have inner linings) and I'd opt to do as little as possible except perhaps use glue to add stabilization and dress any sharp edges. I don't pretend to be a repairman so don't take this as the final word.
Intonation issues due to high action due to a high bridge are characterized by increasingly sharpness as you move up to higher registers because, upon fretting, the distance the string is depressed (and is consequently stretched) increases accordingly. If the nut is also high (not the usual case) the pitch changes are moderated to some extent. Your side view photo does give the appearance of lousy action.
It looks like you may have a floating bridge. If so, it could be too close to the nut. Your seventh fret (one octave above an open string) should be located at one-half your VSL. If your bridge is too close to the nut, the bridge to nut seventh fret VSL is shorter than the open string VSL, thus too sharp. A quarter interval correction would be rather large however. Assuming you have a tuner, check again and give us the sharpness error in cents (1/100ths of an interval). There are many sources detailing how to determine correct bridge placement but if you are stumped let me know and I can go into it here.
Bridge height and placement are the most common problems resulting in intonation issues, and remember, both can be in play at the same time. Other possibilities are nut placement and height or poorly laid out fret placement.
I'm sure not gonna throw any advice your way about painting a dulcimer... except YUCK!
Update: Corrected VSL statement as shown.
Is the action high because the nut or the bridge is too high? Sounds like the bridge position needs adjustment.
The crack looks old, if you agree, just let it be. Adds character to the instrument. If it truly bothers you, GENTLY, try pressing it back into shape. If it goes back into place, you can try putting a very thin layer of glue in the crack and GENTLY clamp it back into shape. Use a clamp with rubber protectors to avoid flattening the final product. (Even better, cut out a caul the shape of the instrument where you plan to clamp.) Immediately take the clamps off once or twice to wipe up excess glue (if any) then clamp and let sit for a couple days. Not my first thought, but you asked.
No comment on the finish.
Awhile back I bought this thin sided walnut teardrop. A pretty little piece but basically unplayable due to intonation issues (namely it got progressively sharper as you fretted higher up a string) and the string pressure required to fret was outrageous. Clearly, the fixed bridge was way too tall. The fit of the bridge in the fretboard was so exact and tight I elected not to try to remove it, but cut it down where it sat. To do so I removed all but the middle string, then loosened the middle string such that I could pull it to the side of the bridge, moving it up and down to gauge how much material had to be removed (which was conservatively about a third of its height). I removed the last string, then fashioned a hardwood shim to the height of where I wanted the bridge to be. Laying the shim alongside the bridge I used it as a guide to carefully cut down the bridge with a fine hacksaw blade. I followed up with files and sandpaper to dress the new top of the bridge, then using the piece of bridge I cut off as a template, I cut new string slots.
I could hardly believe the result; the intonation is right up there with the best of my current crop of 8 dulcimers. What baffles me is how the builder could have released a dulcimer, that overall was a really nice piece of work, with that crippling bridge.
One might argue my approach would reduce the collector value of a piece, but I consider it simple "set-up" that transformed a "wall hanger" into a quite playable instrument.
The photos below show the dulcimer "as received".
After moving cattle panels and discing all day, I came home to find my pawn shop treasure on the porch! :D
I realize that the bottom gap was not actually damage, like the guy claimed, but was a cut soundhole. But several things need to be addressed...
1. There is a crack in the side, probably happened while the builder was bending the sides. The date inside says 71', which was a good year... Because Led Zeppelin. I pushed against it with my finger but it didn't move. Should I shore it with glue or thin piece of spruce, like on a violin?
2. The super high action is causing intonation problems. If tuned DAA, the melody string is sharp by a quarter note all the way up the scale. Since it is always about a quarter, does that mean the frets are ok?
3. It has a thin wax finish that has several drops of walnut varnish spotting here and there. The pine or poplar is not eyecatching by any means. And the side crack damage. Maybe a black milk paint job is in order? Help?
I moved this thread to our forum on specific luthiers' instruments, questions, and instrument issues. 
Jennifer, had I not known the maker's name I would have had a hard time deciphering the signature scrawl up to the "L" in Fleming. I just assumed an abbreviation "Wm" for William but looking at it again I can see the first letter could taken as an "H", but bear in mind the grain of the wood might contort the signing to some extent.
Maybe I was not clear about that "open square". The fingerboard is fashioned from a single piece of wood with a sound hollow routed out from the bottom. The inverse square cornered "U" profile of the fingerboard continues right into the peg box - thus if you look into the peg box towards the nut there should be an opening under the nut. He may have omitted that feature on some of his dulcimers but I would think not as I recall him discussing it with some pride. Of the eight dulcimers I own, only one other has an open ended peg box, which coincidentally (?) is my only other violin-sided 5-string dulcimer.
I agree with your statement about your dulcimer's f-holes being exactly like mine. Small point maybe, but there's a certain distinctive elegance about his pattern that immediately grabbed me when I saw your first photo, telling me "hey, another Fleming!" Everything else you have shown or said amplifies that first impression - well, except for the open peg box (but the jury is still out on that). The signature is the final nail it would seem.
As mentioned in my prior post I have made efforts to garner more information on Bill Fleming, including searches on this site, Everything Dulcimer, checking Dulcimer Players New archives etc. but had not posted a query such as yours. Thus, I am grateful you did post. At least I know Bill was still building in 1972.
As for the buzzing I'd need more information. I know Bill was into floating bridges and his were made of hardwood and triangular in cross section (see my side view photo). My action is on the high side and I intend to make a duplicate bridge with a lower profile (rather than mess with the original which I want to keep intact). I'd guess your bone (or plastic) bridge is a replacement and may have an overly low profile which could, as Ken Hulme suggests set the action too low. Use a nickle as a gauge at seventh fret; it should pass under without putting pressure on the string. If it buzzes on open strings there are other possibilities, like improperly cut string slots in the bridge (or less likely the nut) or a broken glue bond in a brace or lining inside the body of the dulcimer. If you get buzzing only when depressing a string or strings a certain frets the problem is a fret that is too high or too low or (less likely) a warped fingerboard. Most of these issues can be addressed by someone versed in dulcimer "set-up". Warps and un-bonded bracing (or lining) requires someone skilled in repair.
As for tuning a four course, five string set up like ours start with D-A-d-dd. I use D'Addario 5-string banjo stiring sets (23bw-16-12-10,10 gauge, where bw=bronze wound and gauge = x/1,000") you may wish to replace the 12 gauge with another 10 gauge but the slightly heavier gauge does not seem to affect much and makes an alternate D-A-A-dd tuning possible that can be fun to experiment with. Or the 16 gauge A can be dropped one step to a G (i.e. D-G-d-dd) which yields a "New Ionian" (aka Reverse Ionian) in G. I guess some may use a "1-3-5" tunings which are also reachable with that string set, though perhaps not optimal. For example D-F#-A-dd which is 1-3-5 in D or D-G-b-dd which I guess you could call a New Ionian 1-3-5 in G. But again, start with D-A-d-dd as this is the closest thing there is to a standard tuning for your 5-string layout, which makes finding chords and tabs a heck of a lot easier.
Got a little long winded here.
Hope it helps.
UPDATE: This post has been revised to correct and or clarify information pertaining to tunings.
It may not be the frets causing the buzzing; could be a combination of the wrong string size(s) and an action set too low.
I hear you, Strumelia! :)
Robin... it's tempting, but no way!
For exotic bowed instruments, I have my jouhikko(tagelharpa), have a little cheap rebec, have my Cretan Lyra, and have a Langspil being currently made. Spreading myself too thin just results in my being a crappy player on all of them! I'm having fun ...but I really don't need to add yet another learning curve instrument to the mix. 
That's a pretty cool discussion. I hadn't started playing the dulcimer again when it took place in 2010. Oh to know several years ago what I know today about older dulcimers and players, etc. I'm ordering my copy of Anne Grimes book today!
Strumelia, go for the erhu! :)
Lynn, probably not good form to jump in on an old thread, but from your description of the deep body and the photos of the peg head and strings, it is pretty apparent you have a five-string, four-course, baritone dulcimer. If the VSL is 28", give or take an inch, a common Mixolydian tuning would be A-E-a-aa (bass to melody-doublet) with corresponding string gauges of 34bw-22bw-14-14,14 (where "bw" = bronze wound and gauge means x/1,000"). With this tuning you can change to a "New Ionian" (aka Reverse Ionian) tuning by lowering that wound middle string from E to D (A-D-a-aa). In doing so you've gone from Mixolydian in A to New Ionian in D.
If the unwound middle string next to the melody-doublet look a tad thicker than the melody strings my guess would be a "1-3-5" tuning, i.e. A-C-E-aa with maybe 16 to 18 gauge for the E. Lots of luck with that unless you've dabbled with 1-3-5 before. I'd stick with the baritone mixolydian described previously and experiment with the quick change to New Ionian.
If you play with someone who is in DAd tuning you can do simple back and forth rounds in keys of A and D while you are in A Mixolydian mode or duets while in D New Ionian mode.
Oh, and Jeff's dulcimer is an old Dennis Dorogi that was given to him. Note that there are no 1/2 frets on it. Also, Jeff told me he never plays in DAd. He uses a lot of tunings, but for some reason that's not one of them.
I build most of my dulcimers with 26" scale. I find it more practical in many ways. Easier fingering and chording are the two best advantages, especially for people with smaller hands. Also your much less likely to break strings.
Many of us play guitar and almost all guitars are universality between 24.75" to 25.5" so transition is easy. Longer scales like 28 to 30" are great for ND but string tension is much greater.
Greater string tension limits a strings ability to vibrant, so a longer scale can actually sound poorer when tuned in D4.
I built a lot of dulcimers and there are many factors affecting tone and volume. First thing a builder learns is what they are and how to build them into a dulcimer. That's the fun part... Robert
Erhu.... another wonderful and exotic instrument that I idly dream of being able to play... 
I agree with you Dusty. I think the shorter vsl must have some effect on the volume and tone. That is why I talked to Jim Woods about it. He even said that, but it would be very slight and probably not even noticable to the player. I'm happy with the end product. I guess my point was that if someone was considering going with the 26, they shouldn't be concerned with sound. It is still the nice, sweet, beautiful sound of a McSpadden.
