[LUTE] Re: Best material for extending a string.
I use Nylgut for my lutes for their longevity. It may not be recommended, but I wind all the spare string onto the peg, leaving very little over at the bridge. It has been my experience when a string has broken, either near the nut or the peg, there has been sufficient unused string to draw from the peg to tie at the bridge for a second lease of life. I have never had any success in splicing two bits of a broken string together. Nylgut is stretchy enough without having a knot to tighten as well! Nylon, nylgut and steel never sound right and have always come apart after a few minutes in my experience. But if it works for gut - go for it! Best Wishes Ron (UK) -Original Message- From: Sean Smith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 10:42 PM To: Lute Net Subject: [LUTE] Re: Best material for extending a string. Ah, leaders. I got to know these very well in my early lute days learning from Roger Harmon: A parsimonious master of careful string husbandry. This is another reason we NEVER throw out old strings, especially gut. Just find the closest in size to the broken string, bend them together, retune and voila da mano, Bob's your uncle. This also works for putting on new strings where they reach (or almost reach; this is an artform in itself) the nut but not enough to get a purchase on the peg. (Another trick is to wind the string on the peg while not going over the nut, ie going off to the side; you can get a just a few more cms that way. Soon as you get peg purchase, pull it onto the nut by hand) I've been doing this for 30 years now and slowly revising my bag of tricks to stay one step ahead of string prices. Here are a few notes: For a while I used rough hemp string for this but it's fallen out of favor as it looks like rats made a nest in the pegbox. But it works, doesn't stretch much and is cheap. Note that you can only use a hemp leader once --if it breaks it will have stressed some internal fibers more than others rendering it considerably weaker. Roger used to use standard kitchen string (it's real cheap!) but I didn't get the hang of it. Attaching any two gut strings together is a snap (meaning easy, :^). If either are nylgut it's a problem of trying to outsmart the slipperiness and its inherent weakness in tight bends. This is a little easier to do w/ NG strings larger than ~.50mm, ie, not a chanterelle or 4th 8ve --for those I bite the bullet and go with a whole string. If you do have to bend them together you can burn a small ball onto the end of the nylgut as well so it won't eventually slip off the bitter end. Prayer helps. Some further observations: I have never gotten a nylon leader to work w/ the chanterelle. NG leaders below ~.48mm are way too iffy. NG leaders in general are stretchy and difficult to work with. In a pinch fretgut works better. For a chanterelle try to use a slightly larger diameter leader than the string. For tying two gut thin strings together, I go w/ this method: Burn a ball onto both the string end and the leader end. Make loose overhand knot on the string end and pass the leader through it before pulling it tight as close to ball as possible. Tie another overhand knot on the leader also as close to the ball as possible. If you are breaking strings here there there is a good possibility that your problem is NOT in the string, ie DO NOT assume it's a string problem. So I can't emphasize enough: keep your nuts healthy! 1. No sharp edges, especially the very last part where it leaves the nut to the peg. If there is any kind of angle where the string leaves the final flat surface to go to the peg it will put undo tension on the underside of the string. If it is a NG it will use this to weaken the string and you will be reminded of this weakness about 1/8 of a turn before it reaches full tension. The certainty increases with the number of spare strings you posess. 2. Make sure the channel is round and the diameter is larger than the string. If it is good now DO NOT assume it will stay that way forever. It may deteriorate quicker for synthetic strings and metal wound strings and also if you change diameters. ymmv. 3. Lubrication helps immensely. Graphite may last a little longer than beeswax but beeswax is invisible. If, when you incrementally turn the peg, it shoots past the pitch you want then you need lube. Please, please, please, set your, your bandmates' and your audience's, minds at ease w/ this simple remedy. One more little trick: While grossly tuning up a new string, set it outside the channel and when it's a semitone or two away from designated pitch, put a little lube in the channel (and if beeswax, rub a little on the underside of the string just south of the nut) and then drop the string into the groove. If you are using your last NG or chanterelle, you may want to leave a little extra string beyond the bridge so that, if it breaks between the nut and the peg
[LUTE] Re: Best material for extending a string.
Ah, leaders. I got to know these very well in my early lute days learning from Roger Harmon: A parsimonious master of careful string husbandry. This is another reason we NEVER throw out old strings, especially gut. Just find the closest in size to the broken string, bend them together, retune and voila da mano, Bob's your uncle. This also works for putting on new strings where they reach (or almost reach; this is an artform in itself) the nut but not enough to get a purchase on the peg. (Another trick is to wind the string on the peg while not going over the nut, ie going off to the side; you can get a just a few more cms that way. Soon as you get peg purchase, pull it onto the nut by hand) I've been doing this for 30 years now and slowly revising my bag of tricks to stay one step ahead of string prices. Here are a few notes: For a while I used rough hemp string for this but it's fallen out of favor as it looks like rats made a nest in the pegbox. But it works, doesn't stretch much and is cheap. Note that you can only use a hemp leader once --if it breaks it will have stressed some internal fibers more than others rendering it considerably weaker. Roger used to use standard kitchen string (it's real cheap!) but I didn't get the hang of it. Attaching any two gut strings together is a snap (meaning easy, :^). If either are nylgut it's a problem of trying to outsmart the slipperiness and its inherent weakness in tight bends. This is a little easier to do w/ NG strings larger than ~.50mm, ie, not a chanterelle or 4th 8ve --for those I bite the bullet and go with a whole string. If you do have to bend them together you can burn a small ball onto the end of the nylgut as well so it won't eventually slip off the bitter end. Prayer helps. Some further observations: I have never gotten a nylon leader to work w/ the chanterelle. NG leaders below ~.48mm are way too iffy. NG leaders in general are stretchy and difficult to work with. In a pinch fretgut works better. For a chanterelle try to use a slightly larger diameter leader than the string. For tying two gut thin strings together, I go w/ this method: Burn a ball onto both the string end and the leader end. Make loose overhand knot on the string end and pass the leader through it before pulling it tight as close to ball as possible. Tie another overhand knot on the leader also as close to the ball as possible. If you are breaking strings here there there is a good possibility that your problem is NOT in the string, ie DO NOT assume it's a string problem. So I can't emphasize enough: keep your nuts healthy! 1. No sharp edges, especially the very last part where it leaves the nut to the peg. If there is any kind of angle where the string leaves the final flat surface to go to the peg it will put undo tension on the underside of the string. If it is a NG it will use this to weaken the string and you will be reminded of this weakness about 1/8 of a turn before it reaches full tension. The certainty increases with the number of spare strings you posess. 2. Make sure the channel is round and the diameter is larger than the string. If it is good now DO NOT assume it will stay that way forever. It may deteriorate quicker for synthetic strings and metal wound strings and also if you change diameters. ymmv. 3. Lubrication helps immensely. Graphite may last a little longer than beeswax but beeswax is invisible. If, when you incrementally turn the peg, it shoots past the pitch you want then you need lube. Please, please, please, set your, your bandmates' and your audience's, minds at ease w/ this simple remedy. One more little trick: While grossly tuning up a new string, set it outside the channel and when it's a semitone or two away from designated pitch, put a little lube in the channel (and if beeswax, rub a little on the underside of the string just south of the nut) and then drop the string into the groove. If you are using your last NG or chanterelle, you may want to leave a little extra string beyond the bridge so that, if it breaks between the nut and the peg you still have a little more string to work with. When you feel confident THEN clip off the remainder. Ok, as usual Herbert asks a good simple hypothetical question and I write a novel. I'm sure there are many people w/ more practical experience than I on this list. I would love to hear about your observances in this area! cheers, Sean On Dec 7, 2008, at 10:24 AM, Herbert Ward wrote: Suppose a string broke betwen the nut and the peg, so you needed an extension to reach the peg. What material would be best for the extension? To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Best material for extending a string.
A piece of an old string (the reason you save your old strings) or a piece of spare fret gut, or a piece of monofilament fishing line of appropriate dimension. Tie end to end with a barrel knot, used in fishing. I suppose there may be better methods but any port in a storm. - Original Message - From: Herbert Ward [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 1:24 PM Subject: [LUTE] Best material for extending a string. Suppose a string broke betwen the nut and the peg, so you needed an extension to reach the peg. What material would be best for the extension? To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.9.15/1834 - Release Date: 12/6/2008 4:55 PM
