Dusty Strings Hammered Dulcimer Посібник користувача - Сторінка 5

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G E N E R A L C A R E

Be sure to guard your hammered dulcimer from extreme changes in humidity

and temperature. Keep it out of direct sunlight, hot cars, freezing attics, etc. Many

people do not know the speed with which a car interior becomes dangerous to

instruments. Because pets are vulnerable to the same dangers, the Humane Society

publishes the following, somewhat surprising, details: on an 80 degree day, a car

parked in the sun or the shade with the windows cracked will reach 102 degrees in 10

minutes and 120-160 degrees in 30 minutes.

Many instrument glues begin softening and melting at around 130 degrees.

Once softened, glue loses its holding power, and any instrument under string

tension is at risk of pulling apart. You could conceivably open the car door to find

your instrument in pieces. More likely, you would have unknowingly softened the

glue to the point where a slow and gradual disintegration of your instrument

begins, the results of which won't show until much later. Basically, expect that your

instrument will be comfortable anywhere you are, and not where you're not. So,

take it into the restaurant with you! It's also smart to travel with your dulcimer in a

case that offers insulation (such as our cordura and foam cases) to protect it from

quick changes in temperature.

I F Y O U L I V E I N A D R

I F Y O U L I V E I N A D R Y O R C O L D C L I M A

I F Y O U L I V E I N A D R

If your weather gets dry or cold, and your instrument has a solid wood

soundboard, you should take steps to safeguard your instrument from cracking.

Damage caused by excessive dryness is not covered by your warranty, because it is

something over which we, as a manufacturer, have no control.

Here is a brief description of what happens to your instrument when the

relative (or atmospheric) humidity changes. Within a week, the moisture content

of the wood will change to match that of its surroundings. If the humidity

increases, the wood will take on moisture and swell. If it swells too much, it can

warp. If the humidity drops, the wood will lose moisture in a matter of days and

shrink. If it shrinks too much, it will crack. Instruments with large soundboards,

including hammered dulcimers, are more vulnerable to the dangers of swelling

and shrinking than those with small soundboards (such as guitars or violins). So

don't assume that because your guitar has done fine in your climate, your ham-

mered dulcimer will too!

The challenge for the instrument builder is to make a soundboard that can

accommodate the widest possible variation in humidity without problems. Before

we glue up a hammered dulcimer, we equilibrate the soundboard and back in a

controlled environment to a relative humidity of 43% to 45%. Our years of

building these instruments and recording humidity data have shown that this

approach accommodates the widest range of real-world humidity conditions

without problems. As is true with most wooden musical instruments, your instru-

ment will be happiest in a relative humidity range between 40% and 50%. It may

do all right outside that range, but the farther you go in either direction, the greater

your risk of damage.

So if you live in a dry climate, or are experiencing a cold spell, you should

Y O R C O L D C L I M A

Y O R C O L D C L I M AT E

Y O R C O L D C L I M A

T E

humidify your instrument, either by keeping it in a humidified room or by using an

instrument humidifier.

If you humidify the room, or your house, the only way to be certain your

humidifier is maintaining a safe range is to place a hygrometer (a device that

measures relative humidity) near your instrument and monitor the readings.

Inexpensive hygrometers can be purchased in many music stores. Give us a call if

you need help finding one.

If you do not have a hygrometer, or if your room humidifier is not sufficient,

you should store your instrument in its case with an instrument humidifier. These

are also available in most music stores. Put your dulcimer back in the case with the

humidifier when you're not playing. Check that the humidifier is still moist. Rapid

swings from dry to moist are hard on any instrument. Once the ambient humidity

reaches a safe range, around 40%, take the humidifier out. Too much moisture will

cause swelling and warping.

Keeping your instrument properly humidified is an excellent way to ensure

longevity, and is really the only type of maintenance that your hammered dulcimer

requires beyond tuning, cleaning, and replacing an occasional string.

T R A N S P O R

T R A N S P O R T I N

T I NG Y O U R D U L

T I N

We have padded, zippered, cordura cases with shoulder straps to fit all our

hammered dulcimers. These work quite well for protecting your instrument from

dents and dings in most transport situations. In car travel, just be sure to load the

dulcimer on top of your other gear, bridge side up, where it won't shift; or stand it

on its top rail (with case handle up), braced so it can't fall over. If you're driving for

a distance with the sun beating down through the windows, throw a space blanket

over your dulcimer to reflect the sun. The temperature under the blanket will stay

10-20% cooler. Please be sure to read about the danger of leaving your instrument

in a parked car under General Care (page 7).

Flying with your dulcimer can be a challenging proposition.We've carried

smaller dulcimers in their cases onboard aircraft and stowed them in the coat

closet, but if the flight is crowded you might be turned away at the gate. Some

people who fly with their hammered dulcimers a great deal have custom flight

cases made, but we've found these to be quite expensive and very heavy. One

resource is the Colorado Case Company at 800-340-0809 or on the web at

www.coloradocase.com. They make a sturdy and lightweight rigid foam case that

works well.

You may find that the easiest way to protect your dulcimer for the occasional

air trip is to pack it up as though you were going to ship it via UPS, and check it

with your other luggage. This entails finding a box big enough to fit the dulcimer in

its case, with a few inches of extra padding all around. Use soft foam or starch

packing beans, and pack it snugly so the instrument can't shift around. For a

smaller dulcimer, sometimes a left-over guitar shipping box from your local music

store will work. For larger instruments, you may need to find a box at a packing

service.

G Y O U R D U LC I M E R

G Y O U R D U L

C I M E R