J.C. Rockwell | Mountain Dulcimer Building Workshops

Building a Mountain Dulcimer

Building Outline: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | SPiCYAM Class Syllabus |

Sanding, Finishing, and Setup

Final Sanding and Finishing
1. Start sanding all surfaces (except fretboard) with 180-grit paper, then 220-grit, and then 320-grit.
2. Wait at least 15 minutes for dust to settle.
3. Apply first coat of finish with a folded-up paper towel. Apply to small areas at a time, in a circular motion, then immediately wipe off with a clean paper towel. Get inside sound holes. Wait at least 6 hours to dry.
4. Smooth out surfaces with backed steel wool (0000-grit).
5. Apply second coat of finish to all surfaces except fretboard. Wait 6 hours (preferably longer) to dry.
6. Polish all surfaces with the steel wool.
7. Alternate wiping with paper towel and bare palm (known as hand finishing).

Setup
1. In the head, drill 2 small screwholes for each tuner (6 in all). Drill 3 small holes for string pins at the end of the dulcimer.
2. Install tuners using a C-clamp to drive the shafts into the large holes.
3. Starting at the 2nd fret, check frets for levelness by placing a small tri-square on the top, three frets at a time (over all three string areas).
4. Lightly tap any high fret areas with the fretting hammer (avoid over-flattening the middle of the fret).
5. Polish frets with backed steel wool (various grits).
6. Make the bridge by sanding a small piece of ebony into (approximately) a 30-60-90 triangle. The longest side will make contact with the fretboard. Bevel the top edge to allow the bass string a slightly longer string length, and the middle string a slightly shorter string length.
7. Make the nut by sanding a small piece of ebony into a square length with rounded top. Insert snugly into the nut groove (no glue needed).
8. Cut string grooves into the nut using a knife file – point groove toward its associated peg.
9. Install string pins.

10. Install strings. Check intonation, and if necessary, adjust by sliding bridge accordingly. Mark the correct position of the bridge (by its top edge) using a dry-point needle.
11. Tune strings to D-A-D (a 1-5-8 interval). Bass string (wound) D below middle C on the piano; Middle string, A above that D; Melody string, high D (an octave above the bass string)