Maintenance of the hurdy-gurdy: wadding the strings and colophoning the wheel

Hello everyone, I'm Claudia Elmer and today I'm pleased to introduce you to drehleieronline.de two important topics for the maintenance of the hurdy-gurdy: wadding the strings and colophoning the wheel. These methods are essential for the sound quality of your instrument and help to achieve a beautiful tone.

Wadding the strings

Wadding is a process in which the string of the hurdy-gurdy is rewrapped with absorbent cotton. This is important to ensure a clean and clear sound transmission from the string to the wheel.

  1. Preparation: Make sure your hands are clean and free of grease. This will prevent finger grease from making the string or wheel slippery.
  2. Removal of old absorbent cotton: Carefully remove the old absorbent cotton from the string without touching the wheel. Use a piece of toilet paper as a base to protect the wheel.
  3. New wadding: Take a little fresh cosmetic absorbent cotton. Place the toilet paper between the wheel and the string and moisten the string with a cotton bud soaked in rosin. Remove the toilet paper and place the absorbent cotton between the string and the wheel and then start to lower the string towards the wheel and turn it at the same time. Immediately wrap your index finger firmly in the opposite direction towards the body until the absorbent cotton is tightly wrapped around the string. 
  4. Repeat this with all the strings that need new wadding.
  5. Then unhook all the strings and colophonize the wheel as described below so that any unevenness that may have occurred during wadding can be evened out. The tone is even again.

Colophoning the wheel

Rosin is needed to increase the friction between the wheel and the string. The resistance causes the string to vibrate and the sound is produced.

  1. Selection of the colophonium: I prefer liquid rosin as it spreads more evenly on the bike. However, there is also rosin in block or powder form, depending on your preference.
  2. Application of the colophony: All strings are unhooked. Put one/two drops of rosin on a piece of toilet paper, start to turn the wheel and touch the wheel with the colophonized part of the toilet paper while turning. Spin a few rounds so that all parts of the wheel come into contact with the rosin. Proceed in the same way with a block of rosin or the powder. It is important that the rosin is evenly distributed over the surface of the wheel.
  3. Re-polishing: After the rosin has been applied, use a clean piece of toilet paper to polish the wheel. Press the clean toilet paper against the wheel and turn it quickly. The resulting heat will even out any unevenness. 

Important tips

  • Regular maintenance: Wadding and colophonizing should be carried out regularly, depending on the frequency of use and the conditions under which the instrument is played.
  • How often you have to wad the strings depends on how long you play. The wadding dissolves over time. Then it's time for new wadding. The bare string (especially the metal-wound ones) can damage the wheel and no sound is produced because the wheel slips.
  • How often you need to colophonize also depends on the duration of your game and the weather. You can use this as a guide if the sound becomes very quiet and/or you have the impression that the sound responds with a slight delay when playing.
  • Gentle handling: Be careful when handling the wheel and the strings to avoid damaging them.

Conclusion

Regular maintenance of your hurdy-gurdy through correct wadding and colophoning is crucial for maintaining a high-quality sound. I hope these tips will help you to always get beautiful sounds from your hurdy-gurdy. If you have any further questions, you are welcome to book a free initial consultation on my website. I look forward to supporting you and answering your questions. See you soon, Claudia!


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