I've used a cord of ebony adding custom tips to custom rifle forends. It comes in consistancy from gummed eraser to cat can't scratch it. Thanks on the tip for pen blanks. That would be an excellent source and would take a minimal amount of shaping.
Ken that's a great idea. Will try that out this weekend!!
2) Your profile page "EVENTS TAB" and "CALENDAR TAB" are designed to show events that YOU created, and their dates.
Thus, since Leo is the person who created that Harvest event, if you go to HIS profile page and click on his Events Tab and his Calendar Tab, you WILL see the Harvest event listed there in both places: http://fotmd.com/leo-kretzner/event
In general, our profile pages will show things that we ourselves have created . That's also why most members here will not have anything showing in their Groups TAB on their profile page- because they have not created any groups/don't 'own' any groups. To see the groups you are a member of , you hover over your top navbar NAME link, where the drop down menu shows things like your Private messages inbox, Logout, groups you are following (a member of), and your account settings.
If you ever create an event such as a festival or gathering, it will then appear in your profile page Events Tab and on your own events' Calendar.
I know it's all different from what you are used to, but once you get familiar with the 'concepts' of how this site works, such things begin to make more sense. At least, that's what happened to me! Stuff that used to make me go "Huh??" now make make me go "Oh yeah, of course!"
I do apologise to everyone for the significant learning curve for our new home here- there was only so much that I was able to recreate to mimic or function in the very same way as folks are used to from our old site. I'm pretty certain that over time, most of these things will become less puzzling.
P.S. Tumbleweed, if you are attending that event, then YES i would definitely click as well to "Follow" it- that way you'll get notified if others post in or update that event.
I'm sorry for the confusion concerning how the "attending/calendar' features function.
Tumbleweed, this is one of those things that I need to explain carefully, so please bear with me...
1) When you clicked the "attending" button, you DID successfully subscribe to be shown as someone who will be attending that event. You are shown in the event's list of attendees, here:
Try looking on pinterest for music room ideas/decor. I found this ...
My girl Shylo tried to play my dulcimer. I set it on the floor for a minute and she pawed at the strings. After my heart rate slowed down. I told her she did a good job. Didn't want to hurt her feelings.
I tried yesterday and again just now. It isn't working. I want to attend the 21st Annual Harvest Festival in Costa Mesa, CA in October. I clicked the " Attending " but and the screen blinks but that is all it does. I checked my calendar but nothing showing. 
Do I have to be a follower first?
Your spaces sound just like me - all good but how will I fit one more anything or someone coming over to play also?
Thanks for sharing, love all this
Is that akin to getting 'noterised'?
JohnH
I was going to show you a picture of the interior of my sailboat, but I was afraid you all would get claustrophobic!
I usually sit on the edge of the sofa facing opposite this corner. Clearly there is limited space, hopefully this well serve to deter me from buying more Dulcimers.
Doesn't work worth a darn on my Ebony, Lignum Vitae or Snakewood noters
But then they're naturally 'compressed'.
If you don't have a bench vice as Sam suggests, agood source for very HARD wood for noters is the listings for Pen Blanks on Ebay. The blanks are about 3/4" square and 5" long. It's a good way to get small bits of some really exotic and beautiful woods without paying a fortune for a whole plank.
Looks like Wiskers wants to know where the carpet covering is on her new cat tree. 
Thanks for the information, Sam! I may need to try this on a noter or two whose wood isn't very hard.
Woods come in a wide variety of hardness. If your preference is for harder wood and your favorite noter isn't quite there, you may be able to improve its density at the tip by compressing it. This requires some practice or you may crush the wood instead of compressing it. I use a small shop vice and only squeeze about one half inch of the tip of my noters. I tighten the vise on them gently and try to never over tighten. I make my own noters so it's not a great loss if I go too far. This will work on round noters, but then you may have trouble turning it so that the compressed portion addresses the string(s) of your dulcimer. Done properly, you can even see the results. The wood will look shiny where you've compression hardened it. This practice will not only give a little more 'ring' to the sound of your strings, it will lessen wear just a little. The wood won't groove as badly as quickly if it is harder. Try this on some scrap. It may be something you like.
Again, I would caution you NOT to do this on your favorite wooden noter for your first attempt. Try this several times on scrap or old discarded noters to develop a 'feel' for it.
Just found a New/Old Hammnerd Dulcimer and my cat wiskers wants lessons!!!!
I started with one dulcimer and not much music, now I have several dulcimers and other instruments and lots of music, tabs, books, bags, stands, misc. and etc.
At one time I could practice most anywhere, than I started moving around trying to find a spot. I am now trying to set up an area and I was looking for ideas of how you may have yours arranged. What type of seating you thinks works well and size of area or space or room you have.
Any ideas or photos of your special music space or area would be a hugh help, thanks.
My dulcimer life is very simple... I only own two (not counting "Stubby"). I do all performing on my Homer Ledford, and play my Warren May around the house. If I had more dulcimers I would only confuse myself.
Thank you, for sharing these websites!
Bro. Mark. I think the consensis is that the dulcimer was made in Korea. Not that one of your Order couldn't have been building dulcimers in the 70s, but I would expect a more complete "Made by Brother James of the Order of St. Francis" kind of label. Or at least a sketch of Friar Tuck playing a dulcimer! "Franciscan" here could be a backhanded reference to San Franciso, "flowers in your hair", that sort of counterculture thing.
Mark, love your lantern avatar. I have a small collection of them.
Tom, a second dulcimer is handy. The instrument you built has such a nice sound! And it was always a treat to hear you & Melissa make music.
Last summer, I bought a used dulcimer through Craigslist-- the seller and I met in a public place to conduct business. Perhaps you would have good luck buying used locally?
It'd be an honor and a treat to hear you two playing Quittin' Time!
Dear Charley,
I am also intrigued by your dulcimer because of the inner label reading, "Franciscan". I am a Franciscan Friar...one of those brown-robed, sandal-footed monk types of Friar Tuck fame from the days of Robin Hood and the Sherwood Forest. I was amazed to see our name in there and am wondering if at one time any of our friars (there are about 20,000 of us in the world!) were building dulcimers?!?!?
If you learn any more about this instrument, I'd love to know.
Sincerely,
Brother Mark
Tumbleweed, are you planning to attend this event? If you are, did you hit the Attend Button for the event? It should put the event on your calander.
I'm still very much a beginner in playing but the issues I had with the dulciborn have settled down, except still on the highter frets - they are still hard to play but I am mostly playing lower down. I want again to thank you all for all the suggestions and your ideas in helping me set up my instrument. I am posting a few videos for the 4th on the dulciborn and any trouble I am having is more from just still learning how to play, not the dulciborn itself. So, thanks again
Thank you for posting this. That's a very interesting instrument..... whatever it is!
My husband Wayne Jiang and I have started a new podcast exclusively about the mountain dulcimer called Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast. This podcast is dedicated to everything about the mountain dulcimer: the dulcimer’s history, dulcimer music, dulcimer builders, dulcimer communities, dulcimer culture, and much, much more!
In this first episode, folklorist Lucy Long and luthier Ben Seymour talk about the German scheitholt. Plus, Heidi Muller talks about Dulcimer Week in the Wallowas in Oregon.
For episode resources, go to: http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/001.html
In episode 2, we have two stories about Joni Mitchell's dulcimers. Joellen Lapidus tells the story of selling Joni a duulcimer at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival. Rick Scott recalls being picked up by Joni while hitchhiking in Canada in 1971.
For episode resources, go to: http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/002.html
In this episode, we continue the exploration of the scheitholt:
- What kind of music was played on the scheitholt?
- Why did it fade into obscurity?
- And why is there a surge of interest in the scheitholt?
To answer these questions, Wayne spoke with Ken Koons, Ryan Koons, and Ken Longfield, who are musicians and instrument builders. They have built their own scheitholts and have done research on the instrument.
For episode resources, go to: http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/003.html
Howdy Robin.
Thanks for the input. I might get another dulcimer. I am looking to make some changes to the one I built but don't want to be without one in the mean time. It might also be nice to have a second already set up to a different tuning since some jams change keys around frequently.
In any case, it was nice to hear from you. Melissa and I picked out your Quittin' Time at the Essex Mine or at least something close to it. You have some good tunes!!!
Tom S.
The black Snark works well for me. I agree with Ken, tune and remove. Too many people in our jam sessions tune and leave them on. It's not good for the finish on the dulcimer to leave them on, and it looks silly.
Some splitters have the ability to join pages also. I don't remember which one I used.
Hi Skip,
I'm trying thatright now. The free splitter splits the pdf into individual pagesjust grat but when I haavea2 page song Mobilesheets wants it as 1 file. I am going to try converting to picture files where I can load mulitple files to 1 song. Never done it but it is my next best shot.
Thanks.
Didn't realize a 'strummer' is a stick dulcimer which, i guess, is played like a guitar. 
I was thinking of a base under the 'body' to mount a holder.
I use a little black Fender clip-on. I don't put it on the dulcimer, I clip it to my possum board, the edge nearest to me. Pet peave.... seeing a beautiful instrument with tuner clipped to the end. When the instrument is tuned, take it off before you perform.
Skip -- a possum board won't work with a strummer (aka stick dulcimer).
Mr Phil -- You could try memorizing a number of tunes...
Or, if your tab is on 3x5 cards, you could rig a mount on the strummer's neck, like a backwards capo sorta, to hold a standard music instrument lyre. The elastic would go under the strings and the bar in back would hold the lyre.
How about making a combination possum board/tab holder?
You could use a pdf splitter. I have just the books so I made pdf's of each page.
I've seen reports that the 'Reds' break more easilly than the 'Blacks', something to do with how brittle the plastic is.
Like an herb garden right outside your kitchen door, an istrument hung on the wall near where you hang out is often used. 
