I have tried shorter
ends and pulling them tight with pliers,
I should've been clearer here. If you're making you 5th fret where the
4th or "third-and-a-halfth" fret would be you should only need enough
tension to keep the string taught while burning it. I have about 5 lbs
of tension on the smaller frets but the large ones may call for a bit
more. Bake the burn about a quarter inch from the knot and then sculpt
that nub down w/ your hot knife or iron. Then it can't pass through
the knot and you should be good to slide it into place.
Sean
ps I think Dover publications has a nice book for whips and servings
to decorate a trumpet for the Bach lute suites. For that a very small
serving mallet is essential.
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
